


The Agency

by GamerAlexis



Series: Rooster Teeth Agency [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, F/M, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2016-03-27
Packaged: 2018-04-27 02:28:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 26,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5030149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GamerAlexis/pseuds/GamerAlexis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Rooster Teeth Agency is a collection of the brightest and strongest.  Dealing strictly with espionage the likes of James Bond, the Agency has many Units, each with their own special skill sets and abilities.</p><p>These are their stories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Orphan

**Author's Note:**

> So this'll be a collection of short stories taking place in this RT Agency Universe. All related, but not necessarily all in order and such.

It was a balmy night in Los Angeles.  The buildings were lit up like stars and the long line of cars was similar to a symphony in the warm and muggy air.  Adam walked down the streets confidently - five men trailed after him, bumping into each other and jeering fondly.  Truly, the best friends Adam could have never anticipated having.

There was never anything quite as peaceful as walking through the dark city of angels.  Being part of the Rooster Teeth Agency meant that their little unit traversed the country back and forth all the time.  There always seemed to be another assassination for them to take - another hit - but the Funhaus Unit always came back to Los Angeles.

Lawrence would claim that it was the history of this illustrious city that keep bringing them back while Joel firmly stood by the Hollywood culture that pervaded the city.  Bruce claimed it was the ocean and palm trees, that feeling of relaxation away from work.  James adored the West and always felt a sense of adventure in California.  Matt shrugged when asked and said it just felt right.

As for Adam - Los Angeles was his home.  This was where he started, where his entire life began.  It was here that he met Burnie Burns and joined the Rooster Teeth Agency.  It was here that he brought the newly formed Funhaus Unit for a week vacation.  His heart beat with the sounds of Los Angeles and his soul was comforted by the smoggy, California air.

No matter where they went, no matter what jobs they took from the Agency, their Unit would always come back here, even if they didn't know why.

Adam turned around to ask Matt a question - something silly about which bar had the best sound system - but Matt was almost two blocks away, staring down an alley.  Adam stopped and felt James run into him.

"What gives?" James demanded.

Adam shrugged and gestured to Matt.  Together, Adam, James, Bruce, Lawrence and Joel walked back to Matt.  Adam unconsciously checked to make sure his gun was underneath his jacket.  He saw Joel touch his hips - where he had the most brutal set of knives.  Lawrence tapped his glasses, starting up a recording no doubt.  The rest of the Unit prepared themselves similarly.

Matt smiled and walked into the alley.  The other five peeked around the corner and Adam gasped slightly.  Huddled in on himself, wrapped in rags, was a young, ginger teenager wearing a too big baseball cap.  He kept his hands over his face and looked positively tiny.  Matt approached him slowly, gently, with a soft smile.

"Hey, hey," Matt said.  "We're not going to hurt you.  My name is Matt, Matt Peake.  What's your name?"

The kid lowered his hands slightly.  "Sean Poole."

"Sean?" Matt grinned.

"Spoole, please."

"Okay.  Spoole," Matt stepped forward.  "These guys are my friends.  We work together.  Where do you live?"

Spoole's eyes flitted around the alley.  "No where.  I don't - I don't have anyone."

Adam's heart shattered a bit at the brokenness in Spoole's voice.  He stepped around the corner and gently held his arms out as he approached the kid.

"You shouldn't be here alone," Adam said.  "It's not safe in this city for a little one like you."

Spoole bristled and dropped his arms.  "I'm not little!  I'm almost 16!"

"Come with us," Adam said suddenly.  "It's not safe anyway.  We're... um, well.  We take care of people.  Will you let us take care of you?"

"I'll cook you dinner," Joel insisted, popping up beside Adam.  Spoole flinched and nearly jumped backwards into the wall.  "Something hot, yeah?  With a cup of tea?  Hot shower, warm bed, how does that sound?"

Adam couldn't tell if it was Joel's promise of comfort or his natural, mothering, instinct, but Sean nodded and reached out to take Joel's hand.  As they slowly walked back to their little vacation home, Adam knew things would never be the same.

 

True to his word, Joel cooked Spoole something hot and the kid literally scarfed it down.  Matt took him upstairs to the guest room and bathroom.  After Spoole was tucked in, sound asleep, Adam gathered his boys together.

"So," Adam began, glancing at each of them.  "Now what?"

"We keep him, of course!" Joel said instantly.

"Need I remind you that we are, in fact, secret spies and assassins?" James said.

"He needs us," Joel insisted.

"No, he needs a family," Bruce countered.  "We aren't one."

"You saw how skittish he is!" Joel said.  "Do you really think he's just going to fall into the adoption system easily?  Lawrence, what's the statistics of teenagers getting adopted."

"Low."

"Exactly."

"We can't keep him, Joel!" Bruce exclaimed.  "If we bring in every stray we find, we might as well not be a fucking Agency Unit!"

"This isn't about being a Unit!" Joel was standing now.  "This is about being a fucking decent human being!"

"Guys," Adam stopped Bruce before he could retaliate.  "He's not an infant, okay?  More than that, we literally don't know anything about him.  Let's just talk to him in the morning, okay?  It isn't fair for us to make the decision without him."

Grudgingly, they all agreed.

When morning came, the Sean Poole that greeted them was nothing compared to the one they ran into the previous night.  This time, the teenager came bounding down the stairs, all smiles and laughs.

And Adam felt his heart soften at the sight.  Spoole ran up to Joel and looked up at him with big, pleading eyes.  When Joel handed him a plate of food, he actually cooed and sat down beside Matt, looking over at him shyly.

As Spoole slowly opened up over breakfast, Adam saw as James's face grew less guarded and Bruce started grinning at Spoole's funny little actions.  Lawrence flung an arm around Spoole's shoulder halfway through the meal and Adam felt a huge surge of fondness at the scene.

Within three weeks, Spoole asked to be called Sean and was an active part of their life.  It was only a matter of time before their work came crashing back into their lives.

After a massive shootout (a goddamn _ambush_!) where Spoole reverted back to the quiet, quivering mess they first met, they were gathered in the living room.

"So, you know how we talk about work?" James said first.

Sean nodded.

"Well, we're spies," Bruce said.

"It's not that romantic," Adam rolled his eyes at Bruce.  "We work for the Rooster Teeth Agency.  It's an Agency based in Austin, Texas, created to stop terrorists, prevent wars, and, essentially, go out on high stake assassinations."

Sean's pale blue eyes went wide.  "And these guys...?"

"There's always a decent bounty on us," Lawrence shrugged.  "It's an occupational hazard."

"But what about me?" Sean asked.  "I'm not one of you, right?  I"m just... I'm just me."

"We'll keep you safe," Matt said firmly.  He reached over and gently took a hold of Sean's hand.  "It's our job, okay?  Nothing bad is going to happen while we're around."

Sean nodded.

"We're a family," Bruce said, voice rough.  "We look out for each other."

Together, the seven gathered up on the couch slowly watching Netflix until, one by one, they drifted off to sleep.

Adam remained awake, turning off the television and looking over the boys he could now call his family.  The window was open and a warm breeze filtered into the house, bringing the sounds of traffic and the smells of hot asphalt and car exhaust.

Los Angeles had always been their city - their home.  This was refuge for the Funhaus Unit and, though they could never explain it, something about the city called to them and now that Adam was here, cuddled among the six people he cared about most, he could understand what it was bringing them here.

It was as though they had a missing piece in their Unit, a tiny, Sean Poole shaped hole just waiting to be filled.  The muggy light caught Sean's face, lighting up the pale skin and gingery hair, and Adam finally understood why this was called the City of Angels.

Adam only smiled to himself, closing his eyes and tossing a large blanket over all of them, ignoring his phone buzzing on the floor.  On the screen, the name Geoff Ramsey flashed.


	2. The Civilian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was just a normal mission, save the hostages, stop the terrorists, win the day, profit. In fact, it was so normal, Geoff forgot that things could go wrong.

The building was so stereotypical that Geoff kind of wanted to kill himself.  Technically, this was supposed to be the job for Funhaus but the crew begged for an extra two weeks off in California - something about an orphan.  Whatever, their goddamn loss.  The Achievement Hunter Unit could handle this just fine.

This being a hostage situation in downtown Chicago in the dark of night.  His unit was here to assist with anti-terrorist forces and, luckily, were the first responders to the situation.  And as much as Geoff knew that this was a dangerous situation, he couldn't help but roll his eyes at the location.  He opened his phone to call Kovic about how fucking cheesy this whole situation was, but no answer.

"Some terrorists just want the publicity," Ray remarked as they looked up to the abandoned high rise.  "Gavin says there are four terrorists and three reporters.  The hostages are tied up and gagged."

"Any other contact from them?" Geoff asked, strapping on his vest.

"Nada, the phones are silent," Ray shook his head.  "Just the first call, the one demanding the million dollars.  We know how well that fucking worked."

Geoff tensed at the grim reminder.  The terrorists called early in the morning with their demands and, as quickly as they could, the Chicago Police Department and the AH Unit rushed to meet those demands.  Unfortunately, it was all a hoax and an ambush.  What started as a ransom was now a hostage situation and, to be frank, Geoff was pretty fucking pissed.  Now, it was reaching past midnight and these hostages have been in this position for almost 24 hours and Geoff was getting antsy.

Terrorists he could understand - there was a motive there, a reason for their actions.  This?  This was Grade-A douchebag, wanting fifteen minutes of fame bullshit.

"How is Michael doing?" Geoff asked softly.

"He's pissed as hell that he's not here," Ray chuckled.  "You know he hates intelligence work."

"Then he shouldn't get shot," Geoff countered.  "Okay, this is our plan.  As soon as the S.W.A.T. gets here, you and I will lead them in.  Jack and Ryan will provide sniper support while Gavin prepares the ambulances."

"Sounds fucking awesome," Ray nodded as he slid the safety off his pistol.

The S.W.A.T. van pulled up and they breached the building, comms hot and crackling in their ears.

The Rooster Teeth Agency specialized in creating spies - people of interest who could deal with secret societies, terrorist groups, and other undercover agencies.  Dealing with hostage situations on a massive level?  That tended to have too much publicity for their line of work.

But fuck, Geoff liked this.  The Agency only had two units big enough for missions like this - Funhaus and Achievement Hunter - so this was a normal event for them, one they excelled at.

As much fun as it was to have high speed car chases or shootouts in fancy galas, there was something instantly rewarding in saving a hostage - something about the gratitude and rush of adrenaline meant so much more to Geoff than the secret stunts no one noticed.

The building was abandoned but not decrepit and they ran up the stairs.  Jack kept a running commentary on the location of the terrorists and hostages while Michael bitched about his gunshot wound.

They burst through the top door and, with four quick shots, the terrorists all fell dead.  Geoff hollered out an all clear and he and Ray took off their helmets.  The hostages were tied to pillars in the room, tears streaked down their faces.  Geoff knelt down in front of a man, gently tugging off the duct tape.

"You're safe now," he said, reaching out to untie the rope.  "These guys will take you downstairs, an ambulance is waiting for you."

He repeated the platitudes to the next woman, who practically fell into the arms of the waiting S.W.A.T. member.  Geoff looked over at Ray.  He was kneeling on the ground cradling the third reporter, and gently stroking her hair.

"What's your name?" he asked softly.

"T-Tina," she whimpered.

"Okay, Tina, I'm Ray," he introduced himself.  "Let's get you downstairs.  We have doctors waiting for you.  Can you do that?  I'll walk with you."

Tina nodded and allowed Ray to gently lead her down the stairs.  Geoff stared at the two and realized one thing.  Even though the mission went off without a hitch, all civilians alive and well, things could still go so wrong.

 

Being in such close quarters with the same five other guys meant that certain things happened, completely natural of course, such as fucking your coworkers on occasion.  No one, not even Geoff (their self imposed leader) could resist the desire for closeness.  He and Ryan had shared a fair number of one night stands after missions - no strings attached.

In fact, Geoff was pretty sure the six of them had fucked in almost every combination they could.  He had prided himself in believing that his unit wasn't compromised by their relationship - unlike Funhaus's weird 6-way that occasionally kept them from following protocol.

Wait, Geoff backtracked in his brain, he absolutely adored the Funhaus boys - he considered their units to be brothers in fact - but being in this job meant rules came first.  He knew the Funhaus Unit was called into Hullum's office frequently to deal with their lack of professionalism in the field.

That was the last thing he wanted with his own unit and - foolishly, he believed it was true.  But the lads were overly emotional and very codependent on each other.

Which is why he was holding a sobbing Gavin to his chest and rocking back and forth on the bed.

"Tell me what's wrong," Geoff said softly.

"Ray's done with us," Gavin hiccuped.  "I mean, not the Unit, course not that.  But with me and Michael.  Said no more threesomes."

"Why not?" Geoff prodded gently.

"Some civilian," Gavin shrugged.  "Spending all his time with some bird - doesn't care about us anymore."

Geoff sighed and rested his cheek against Gavin's floofy hair.  "Oh, Gavvers.  You know better."

"I know, I know," Gavin said.  "I just... I thought we were special, you know?  Just us three, the lads.  I thought we'd be forever or some shit like that."

"He's still in our Unit, Gavin," Geoff explained.  "He's still our lad, right?  Let him have a girlfriend.  It's no different than when Ryan dated around, okay?  Ray is still your friend, still our friend."

Gavin nodded numbly against Geoff's shoulder.  "Okay.  Okay.  I'll be okay."

"There you go," Geoff smiled.  "Chin up, Gav.  We're supposed to be on a plane to Russia in three hours.  Need you in top condition, okay?"

Gavin nodded and stood up.  "Thanks, Geoff."

Three hours later they were flying to Russia.  As Geoff looked out over his unit teasing and jostling each other, he knew that they were going to be alright.


	3. The Recruits Part 1 - First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As soon as Sean was old enough, he applied for the RT Agency. It was something he debated on for years - ever since he found out what his boys do.
> 
> Really, it was the best option for all of them. Hopefully, they wouldn't kill him when they found out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So inspired in this verse, we get two chapters today!
> 
> This is 3 years after the previous two chapters (just in case I don't make it clear?).

Sean Poole stared up at the massive building in front of him.  It was sleek and modern and he felt intimidated just by looking at it.  There were about fourteen other people standing with him, each with bags over their shoulders and similar faces of awe.

"Shit," he whispered.

"Right?" someone next to him said.

Sean turned and saw a short, stocky kid, probably around the same age as him.  He had aviators perched atop his head an a charming smile.

"Jeremy," he held out his hand.

"Spoole," Sean replied, shaking his hand.

"Spoole?"

"I prefer my nickname with strangers."

Jeremy shrugged.  "Cool with me, bro."

The doors opened and a man stepped out in a pristine suit carrying a clipboard.  His hair was curly and graying at the edges and he immediately gave off the air of a man not to be crossed.  It must be Burnie Burns, the recruitment officer of the Agency.

"Hey noobs!" he called out, walking up to the group.  "Yeah!  You squirrely guys there!  C'mon in!  Y'all can't start of your training by fucking standing around!"

Definitely Burnie.  Sean laughed softly to himself and shared a glance with Jeremy.  Together, they followed Burnie inside.  The door opened to a massive atrium that opened all the way to the ceiling.  From the front door, Sean could count four floors, other than the ground floor, each defined by glass and metal railings.  In the middle of the atrium was a tall, marble fountain.

"Welcome to the Agency!" Burnie spread open his arms.  "This building we fondly call 636.  It's our base of operation and we'll give y'all a tour tomorrow.  As recruits, you will be staying on the 2nd floor.  You'll share a dorm and I will see you tomorrow morning.  Schedules will be in each of your rooms, names on the doors, good luck!"

Then he was gone - fucking vanished down a hallway and leaving a group of recruits in the atrium with no clear direction.

"Not one for talking, huh?" Jeremy stage whispered.

Sean laughed and, as one, the entire group of recruits wandered to the elevator.  Fucking, even the elevators looked impressive, with mirrors and gold trim.  The ride up to the second floor was quiet and filled with nervous tension.

The door opened and they spilled out.  In front was the railing overlooking the atrium.  Feeling only slightly lost and vaguely abandoned, Sean wandered out into the floor with Jeremy at his side.

Directly behind the elevator was a lobby like area, with tables, chairs, couches and televisions.  From that room spread out hallways and doors and Sean knew that he was going to get lost in here eventually.

"You nervous?" Jeremy asked as they ventured down a hallway labeled 'Dorms'.  "I hear that RT Academy is one of the hardest in the states."

"Not really," Sean shrugged.  "I have some friends who work here as agents and, well, if they can make it, then why not me?"

Jeremy nodded.  "Hey, this is my room!"

The duo stopped and looked at the door.  Room 245 with two name plates underneath.  Jeremy Dooley and Sean Poole.

"Mine too!" Sean grinned.  "Guess we're roomies now."

"That's wicked awesome," Jeremy cheered and opened the door.  "So your name is Sean?  Do you want me to call you Spoole?"

"Eh," Sean shrugged.  "I prefer Spoole, yeah.  But if you want, I guess you could call me Sean."

"Nah, Spoole is way cooler," Jeremy grinned.

The dorm itself had an air of hotel-like cleanliness.  Two twin beds were pushed up against one wall with two desks squashed between them.  There was a closet and a small bathroom on the opposite wall.  All in all, everything that Sean would expect from either a hotel or a college dormitory.  Sean threw his bag down on a bed and opened the closet.  It was a deep walk-in with a rack on both sides, multiple uniforms hanging there.

Just as Burnie had promised, a folder was on each desk, filled with papers.  At the top was a letter.

_Congrats!  You finished your first task - handling a strange and new environment without someone holding your hand.  Here at the Rooster Teeth Agency, we pride ourselves in training self-sufficient, confident men and women.  While we will be doing our best to train you to your best, don't expect any hand holding from our staff._

_Enclosed you will find a key for your dormitory, an ID card, and your schedule for the next six weeks of training.  At the end of six weeks we will hold an evaluation and determine if you are ready to become an agent or if more training is required._

_Remember, just do your best, ask questions, and be adventurous!  The future rides on our shoulders._

_-Burnie Burns_

Sean grinned and tucked the letter into one of the desk drawers.  He flipped open the folder and pulled out the key, card, and schedule.  A key ring fell out of the folder as well and Sean hooked the key and ID card to it before turning his attention to the schedule.  A tour and introduction assembly was scheduled for the entire day tomorrow, starting at 6:00 AM and ending at 7:00 PM.  Sean leaned back in his chair and sighed.

Finally, he was here.  It only took three years of careful thinking and research (and praying that Lawrence never found out) and now he was here.  He was going to train, become an agent, and join the Funhaus Unit.  He could be with his boys and never have to worry at home again.

Jeremy let out a deep breath from where he was sitting at his desk.  He pushed away from the desk and looked over at Sean.  "Hey, how old are you?"

"Nineteen, you?"

"Twenty," Jeremy replied. "And your friends?"

"Well, Bruce is the oldest and he's twenty-five and James and Lawrence are both twenty-two.  The rest just sorta fall in the middle."

Over the course of the next several hours, Sean learned that Jeremy joined up in the Agency to follow his best friend's footsteps - Matt Bragg was one of the Agency's many techies, fondly called the B-Team.  Jeremy was from Boston, an only child, and a gymnast once upon a time.  In return, Sean talked about his orphan life and the few years he spent on the streets before Funhaus took him in.

He didn't say how joining the Agency was to keep track of them, to stay with them and repay them for all the kindness they showed him.  He didn't say that he was fighting through a massive crush on the six of them and thought (hoped) if he was an agent, strong and powerful like them instead of a scrawny teenager, they would like him back.

"Dude, I'm fucking starving," Jeremy stood up and cracked his back.  "Let's go find dinner.  Maybe do some exploring."

"Sounds good to me!" Sean laughed, standing up as well.

Together they left their dorm and wandered into the maze of 636.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I am trying to stay on top of my tags - but if you see something that I missed in the tags, or something mis-tagged, or what-have-you, just let me know. I make mistakes, I'm still trying to understand this tagging system.
> 
> Thanks!


	4. The Assassins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are many units that specialize in assassinations but one unit has the rest of them beat. This group of girls is so tough, so fast, and so ruthless that even within the halls of the Agency they are honored and revered.
> 
> This is, of course, the Rwby Unit.

"Target located, Agent Red."

"Excellent, Agent White.  Agent Black, proceed to the kill zone."

"Roger that, Red.  Where's Gold going?"

"She's preparing out escape route."

"I'm doing a pretty boss job of that too, if I say so myself."

"No motorcycles this time!"

"You are such a fucking buzzkill, god."

"Target down.  Headed to Agent Gold."

"Good job team, let's go home."

* * *

The jet landed smoothly on the runway behind the Agency.  As always, a small crowd was gathered around - waiting for the famous Rwby Unit to arrive.  They had been an official unit for a few years now and had quickly found their way to legendary status as the world's best assassins.

Lindsay laughed to herself at the horde of agents, each of them waiting for a glimpse of the girls.  It was a great irony that, as assassins, they were treated like celebrities at 636.  The jet slid to a stop and Lindsay stretched her arms above her head.  If she ever stepped on a plane again it would be too soon.

"The adoring fans await," Barbara sighed as the four of them stood up.

Kara rolled her eyes.  "We have been traveling from job to job for nearly three months now.  I am ready for a hot bath and a day of relaxing.  The fans can fuck themselves."

The door to the jet opened and the four of them stepped out into the sunlight.  Waiting for them outside with dark glasses over his face was Monty Oum, their trainer and mentor.  He handpicked the four of them when creating his elite assassin unit and, in many cases, was a protective father figure to them.

"Well done, girls," he smiled as they came down.  "Seven completed missions in ten weeks - you've set a new record.  Hullum wants to congratulate you personally for your successes."

"Can it wait?" Kara asked.

Monty shook his head.  "Sorry, he was very insistent.  I'll keep your adoring fans at bay, but he won't wait, you know that."

Kara rolled her eyes and Arryn stepped forward, "Of course, Monty.  Thanks."

The girls walked to the building, Monty by their side and pushing away the other agents.  Lindsay noticed that in the back stood the AH and FH Units, staring down at the girls with judgemental eyes.  There had always been a level of friendly competition between the units at 636, but there was a special level of animosity between the Rwby girls and those boys.

As a small Unit, the Rwby girls did assassinations but the larger groups (like Funhaus and Achievement Hunter) had to be more versatile.  Lindsay respected those boys, respected what they did.  Just last week, Achievement Hunter came back from a very successful bomb diffusion which saved  _thousands_.  Not to mention the long list of successful and diverse missions from Funhaus.  In some cases, it paid to be a bigger group - but the agents of 636 only had eyes for Rwby, leaving the successes of the other units somewhat hidden in obscurity.

Lindsay waved as they passed by and one of them flipped her off.  She stuck her tongue out and followed her unit inside.  If that's how the boys were going to play, then two could play at that game.

Matt Hullum, the leader and CEO of the Rooster Teeth Agency, lived at the top of 636 in a penthouse-esque apartment.  There was a glorious office across the hall from his living space with a massive mahogany desk and the entire back wall was a window that looked out over the training fields.  Hullum himself was not an intimidating man.  He was soft spoken, wore gentle wire-framed glasses, and dressed casually.

The door to Hullum's office opened and the Rwby girls stepped inside.  Hullum was sat down at his desk, typing gently at a laptop.  He glanced up when the girls entered and smiled.

"Come in, come in!" he said, standing up and ushering for them to sit down.  "It's been so long since I've seen you, girls.  Though, I can hardly call you _girls_ now, can I?"

"Can we hurry this up?" Kara asked.  "With all due respect, sir, we've had a long few months and would really like to relax."

"Of course!" Hullum waved it away and stepped to the other side of his desk.  "I just wanted to congratulate you personally on breaking the Agency's record.  Seven missions in ten weeks is no easy feat and I couldn't be prouder of your unit.  I know Monty feels the same.  Which is why I wanted to congratulate you with these."

From his desk, Hullum pulled out four plaques.  They were made of oak wood with gold lettering embossed on the front.  Outstanding Service Award.  Lindsay took hers gingerly, running a finger over the letters.  She recognized this award, had seen it before, and glanced up to ask who else has been given this award.  Hanging innocently on the wall by the filing cabinets was the exact same award given to Matt Hullum.

"The last time these awards were given out was to the Red and Blue Units years ago," Hullum said.  "When this Agency was in its infancy, we were awarded the Outstanding Service Award from the President.  You are the first recipients of the Rooster Teeth Agency's Outstanding Service Award.  Normally, we'd have a ceremony, but I didn't think you would appreciate it."

"Holy shit," Barbara whispered.  "Thank you, sir."

Hullum smiled.  "Congratulations, girls.  Now go get some rest, you've earned it."

Together the four of them stood up and shook his hand.  Lindsay clutched her award as they left the office.  Outstanding Service!  She could hardly believe it.  Sure, they'd done some fucking impossible missions, but so had many other units.  This was certainly an honor.  The elevator doors opened to Floor 4 and twelve agents were waiting there, arms folded and faces sneering.

"This isn't your floor," Arryn said instantly.

"Oh, we know," Geoff Ramsey replied instantly.  "We just wanted to see what the fantastic fucking Rwby girls do outside of missions."

"But, Geoff, they're never here," Adam Kovic replied instantly.

The boys all laughed at that and Lindsay bristled.  The other girls went stiff beside her.

"They're just too good for us  _average_ agents," James Willems piped up.

"C'mon, guys, it's not like that," Lindsay argued.  "We're all agents here, we all do our best.  This isn't some fucking competition."

"Then what's that?" Gavin Free pointed to the plaque in Lindsay's hand.

Before she could explain, Ryan Haywood was there, snatching the plaque from her hands.  "Outstanding Service Award," he read off in a patronizing voice.  "The fuck is this?"

"It's none of your business!" Kara shouted, swiping the plaque back.  "Just fucking back off and leave us the fuck alone!"

"Or what?" Michael Jones taunted.  "You think you can beat us?  The four, fabulous Rwby girls against just us average twelve?  Fucking seriously?"

Kara dropped the two plaques and raised her fist.  Arryn snapped her hand out and grabbed Kara's wrist.  "It's not worth it."

"Just one punch!" Kara shouted, pulling her hand free.  "He fucking deserves it!"

"Yeah, Arryn, come on!" Lawrence Sonntag jeered.  "It's just one punch, after all.  And Kara is a girl, so how bad could it be?"

"Fuck you!" Lindsay snapped.  She took one step forward and slammed her fist against Lawrence's smug and scheming face.  He stumbled back and his unit gathered around him instantly, glaring daggers at Lindsay.  Her chest heaved with anger and her knuckles were gonna bruise.  "You boys are such goddamn idiots!  This isn't a fucking competition, okay?  You are great agents and I fucking admire your work because you are damn good at what you do.  But so the fuck are we!  I don't see you picking fights with any other units, so why the fuck does it matter?  Just fucking grow up and leave us alone!"

Lindsay scooped up the fallen plaques from the floor and gestured for her unit to follow.  They stormed past the boys and down the hallway to their shared room.  Arryn gently shut and locked the door behind them.  Kara groaned and collapsed onto her bed.  Their room had four beds, two on each wall, a massive closet, and two bathrooms.  In the middle of the room was a small coffee table.  Lindsay gently set the plaques down and sat on the ground.

"That went well," Barbara remarked.

"I'm fucking tired of it," Lindsay sighed.  "The competition.  Like we asked for this goddamn fame."

"How about we go somewhere," Arryn suggested, sitting at the edge of her bed.  "Let's taking a vacation somewhere for like, two weeks or something.  Let this whole thing blow over."

"That's actually a great idea," Kara agreed, slowly sitting up.  "Get the fuck out of Austin.  Can we go to a beach?"

"Bahamas it is!" Arryn grinned.  "I'll talk to Monty and we'll go."

Lindsay closed her eyes and let the planning wash over her.  A vacation sounded excellent right now.  Anything, really, to get away from the rest of the agency, even if only for a little while.


	5. The Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was just another day of training for Jeremy and Spoole. Another day of classrooms and exercise and another day for Spoole to avoid the Funhaus Unit.

Jeremy rolled over and smacked the snooze button.  Spoole was already up and awake, dressed in his recruit uniform (and his traditional hat) and munching on an apple.  The red numbers flashed 5:30 AM and Jeremy groaned.

"Morning!" Spoole chirped.  "We're in classrooms all morning.  After lunch we have weapons training.  It's a pretty full day."

Jeremy groaned again and sluggishly rolled off his bed and onto the floor.  It had been almost two weeks since they arrived and Burnie had run them ragged from day one.  The entire first week had been strictly athletics training - running and weights and obstacle courses.  The second week involved more intelligence - going to classes about governments and forensics and ballistics alongside their gym time.  Jeremy felt drained, physically and mentally, and there was a month of training left.

"How are you even awake?" he mumbled, hobbling to the bathroom.

"I always wake up this early," Spoole grinned, taking a bite of his apple.  "First in line at soup kitchens."

Jeremy's hand slipped against the shower tile.  He'd forgotten that Spoole was an orphan most of his life, without a home, living on the streets.  Suddenly awake and sobered, Jeremy took a quick shower and got dressed.  The uniform was rather boring, khaki pants and gray shirt with his name emblazoned on the back.  He grabbed his bag from the ground, tossed in a notebook and pen, and followed Spoole out of their dorm.

The second floor was oddly secluded from the rest of 636.  None of the other agents ever came to this floor and, other than visiting the gun range in the basement, the recruits never left this floor.  Jeremy once asked Spoole if he wanted to go find his friends but Spoole panicked and shook his head.  Jeremy didn't ask.

The dorm hallway led out to the main lobby and across that was another hallway that branched off to various classrooms.  Shoulder to shoulder, the two walked to their first class, Diplomatic Relations.  Usually it was taught by Agent Jenkins, but she was out on a mission with her partner, Agent Turney.

Most of the teachers fluctuated, actually.  Government Studies was usually taught by Agent Sorola, though on occasion Agent Haywood would sub in.  Forensics was eagerly taught by Agents Risinger and Rodriguez who treated crime scenes like works of art.

It had become habit to walk into a classroom and see someone new at the whiteboard and Jeremy thoroughly enjoyed having a variety of teachers on subjects.  Sorola was always such a boring, dry teacher filled with lectures that resembled college.  Haywood, on the other hand, was theatrical and inarticulate.  Jenkins was sweet and intelligent and Risinger tended to be lenient.

So it was no surprise to walk into the classroom and no recognize the man standing at the head of the room.  He was well dressed with dark curly hair and a thin, wiry frame.  He had the look of an intellectual rather than an agent.  Spoole gasped and went stiff beside Jeremy.

The man turned around, marker held limp in his hand.

"Good morning class, I'm Agent Joel Rubin and I'm teaching you about diplomatic relations today."

Jeremy and Spoole took their seats as Agent Rubin went through the list of names, just like in middle school.  As they went down the list of names, Spoole sunk further and further in his seat.

"Sean Poole."

Spoole slowly lifted up his face to Agent Rubin.  "Hi, Joel."

* * *

The instant the door slammed shut Joel started shouted.

"What the  _fuck_ , Spoole?!  Seriously, what the actual fuck are you thinking?!  Three years ago you wanted nothing to do with this, what made you change your mind?  Did you want to live in this dangerous life?  Did you actually fucking think this through?" _  
_

"Joel, listen," Spoole started.

"No, you listen!" Joel snapped.  Don't you remember what it is we do?  We get shot at on a daily basis and you want to join in?  This has nothing on your little recruitment training and I don't understand why you're fucking here!"

"Just let me explain!" Spoole said.  "Just, Joel, trust me."

Joel took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose.  This was the first time that Spoole has seen him since he joined the Agency.  Before joining, the Funhaus Unit came to visit him at once a week and, after a few years, that wasn't enough time for Spoole.

"Fuck that, we're having an intervention," Joel said, pulling a phone out of his pocket.  "Burnie can teach your goddamn class, you are coming with me."

"But-"

Joel made a noise and cut off Spoole, who shut up quickly.  Joel tapped on his phone, grabbed onto Spoole's wrist, and dragged him to the elevator.  Spoole knew better than to argue and interrupt Joel when he was in a rage.  He'd seen enough of it back in California.

Joel jabbed a button in the elevator but Spoole didn't pay attention, instead he tucked his head down and yanked his hat over his eyes.  Joel was fuming next to him and, for the first time in Spoole's little life, he remembered that Joel was actually a special Agent who killed people for a living.

The elevator dinged and Joel dragged Spoole out to a lobby.  It looked almost exactly like the lobby Spoole had begun to call home only with more people walking around.  There were a few hallways and lots of doors.  Spoole wanted to look around, explore the new area, but Joel's grip was tight as they walked down a hallway and burst into a room.

The room was actually the entryway for a small apartment.  A kitchen was to his left and a living room was in front of him, with two doors branching off.

"I thought you were teaching Ashley's class today," Adam called out as the door slammed shut.

"Things change," Joel said shortly.  "Get everyone.  Now."

Adam poked his head out of the kitchen and his eyes landed on Spoole.

"Sean?" Adam asked.  "Wha- what are you doing here?"

"Now, Adam."

Spoole shrunk in on himself as Adam nodded and walked through one door, calling out for the rest of the Unit.  Joel grabbed Spoole's shoulders and shoved him into the living room and onto the couch.  Slowly the Funhaus boys stepped out of the room and Spoole had to watch the shock cross each of their faces.

"It's time to explain, Sean," Joel said.  "What the  _hell_ are you doing here?"

"I want to help," Spoole said softly, looking down at his hands.  "I just... I don't like waiting."

"You know this is dangerous," Lawrence said softly.  "Fuck, Spoole, you asked us to keep you out of this.  You wanted to be a civilian."

"I know!" Spoole said emphatically.  "Fuck, I know.  But things change.  I waited for you to visit every week for three years and I realized that if something happened... if anything happened... that I wouldn't know and I don't want that to happen."

"So you joined the most dangerous Agency in the country?" Bruce said.

"I can do it!" Spoole said.  "I have to try.  I just can't wait for a fucking phone call that one of you died.  I can't... I can't live like that."

Matt knelt down in front of Spoole, grasping his hands and chasing after Sean's gaze.

"Of course, Sean," Matt's voice was almost a whisper.  "Of course you can't live like that.  We're family now and family sticks together.  You have been dealt a cruel and unfortunate hand in life and it wasn't fair of us to leave you in California like that."

Spoole nodded.  Now that Matt put it to words, it was easy to find the abandonment issues in Sean's fears and worries (outside of the goddamn unrequited crush of course).

"Oh, Spoole," James knelt down next to Matt, gazing gently up at him.

"I don't want to be alone again."

Arms engulfed Sean and he closed his eyes against a sudden onslaught of tears.  All this time, Spoole had been scared to tell Funhaus that he joined because he feared their anger.  He feared the shouting matches, the angry tears, the slammed doors, but he never imagined the tears and heartache of his codependency.

"Okay, okay," someone muttered into Spoole's hair.  "You go through the training and we'll support you every step of the way.  You can always come visit us."

Hot tears down his cheeks, Sean grabbed the nearest body and pulled him closer.  By the scruff of the beard, it was Matt, and Sean tucked himself into Matt's chest.  This was home - these six men surrounding him in love and warmth.  This was all that Spoole ever wanted since they took him in and gave him a home.

With all six of them beside him, Sean felt like he could conquer the world.  He could do anything so long as the Funhaus Unit was by him.

 


	6. The Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt Bragg had been with the Agency for years, working in their Logistics and Planning Division, fondly called the B-Team. He spent his days working alongside Steffie Hardy and Kdin Jenzen and never, ever, thought back to the gorgeous Boston Boy he had to leave behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> C'mon, after that Extra Life Kiss, how could I not make Jerematt a thing in this?
> 
> Also, disclaimer, I know nothing about current foreign affairs. I mean no disrespect or insult. This is a work of fiction and I'm trying my best.

Deep beneath the grounds of the Rooster Teeth Agency was the Cave, fondly named by the famous B-Team.  It was beneath the armory and gun range and protected with layers and layers of security.  After all, if the B-Team couldn't protect their own headquarters, how could they claim to hack into any network in any country?  It wasn't as if anyone could waltz into their lair.  There were DNA scanners, voice recognition, and so many secret codes that even Director Hullum would have a difficult time accessing the Cave.

In Matt's most excellent opinion, he was fairly certain all those security regulations were a big front so the rest of the Agency never found out exactly how ridiculous the entire B-Team actually was.  Matt slid his key card, did the retina scan, and a full palm scan before the doors were opened.

"THAT'S NOT HOW FUCKING PHYSICS WORKS!"

It was only nine in the morning and Kdin was already screaming.  That had to be a new record.  The Cave was huge with rows and rows and rows of computers.  A small hallway to one side led to a slightly smaller room that was akin to a break room with plush couches and beds along with a fully stocked kitchen.  Since most of the B-Team tended to stay down here for days on end, it was stocked and protected like a goddamn nuclear bomb shelter.

"You're late," Steffie scolded as Matt came in through the door.

"Sue me," Matt replied.  "It's nice to sleep in my actual bed in my actual room."

Steffie rolled her eyes.  "Whatever.  Funhaus is about to go on a suicide mission and I need you and the fucking rage machine Kdin to get as much Intel on Iran before we send them in."

"What kind of suicide mission is this?" Matt asked as he walked to his desk, pushing aside the sticky notes scattered on it.  "The actual suicide type or the The-Funhaus-Guys-Are-Idiots-And-Can't-Take-It-Seriously kind of suicide?"

"The first one, unfortunately," Steffie said, pulling out a sheet of paper from her ever-present clipboard.  "There's a serious firefight happening over there and, right now, America is losing and called us for reinforcements.  Normally, I'd send in the Achievement Dorks, but they're taking the new batch of recruits out for a test run.  And, as much as I loathe to admit it, the Funhaus Unit is fucking  _lucky as shit_.  I don't know how they pull of their assignments without dying, but they always do."

"Oh, wow, this is serious," Matt sat down heavily.  "Like, proper life and death serious."

"Yeah," Steffie nodded.  "I need that Intel by this afternoon, Kdin's already started.  Keep them safe."

Matt spun around in his chair and booted up his computer.  Surely, between him and Kdin, they would keep Funhaus safe.  It was assignments like this that reminded Matt exactly who and what he was working for.  In the few years he'd been part of the Agency, part of the B-Team, he'd seen many agents killed in the line of duty.  He had been to more funerals than he thought possible and seen many agents leave.  This lifestyle wasn't for everyone.

Everyday Matt thanked any deity that was listening for being in B-Team, for staying out of the line of fire.  Of course there were hard days, there always were.  Trying to guide someone through a minefield or listening to an agent's death cries were some of the worst for Matt.

Then there were days when the hostages were safe, home and free.  There were days when bombs were diffused and cities safe.  There were days when terrorists were taken down before they could hijack planes or blow up trains.  There were days when Matt got to hear and see as the agents succeeded in making the world a better place and if that didn't make all the shitty days fucking worth it.

Iran had been a hot zone for years now, in fact, the entire Middle East had been boiling with tension.  It really was only a matter of time before they were called in to help the firefight.  But as the numbers started scrolling across his screen, Matt realized exactly what kind of shit hole they were sending Funhaus into.  It was going to be a goddamn massacre.

Kdin wandered over to Matt, still fuming with anger, and they talked.  The Funhaus Unit was going in, that much was certain, and it was up to them to give them the best chance of survival.  This was his job, this is what Matt Bragg did - he saved lives and kept his men and women safe.

 

It was nearly three in the afternoon when they got all the Intel to Steffie who instantly called up Joel Rubin to brief them on their mission.  Matt was exhausted to the bones.  He was surviving on coffee, Red Bull, a muffin from fucking ages ago, and hope.  He grabbed an entire leftover pizza from the kitchen and escaped the Cave to take a well deserved break.

And, to be honest, there was no better way to relax than by watching Achievement Hunter literally destroy a new batch of recruits.  They were, by far, the most sadistic unit in this Agency and that made them perfect for training hapless recruits and weeding out the weak ones.  So with a day old pizza in one hand and a big soda in the other, Matt traversed out of 636 and onto the training field.

It was set up as an urban street with narrow alleys and particleboard buildings.  It was one of the AH Unit's favorite training methods - a paintball battle.  If the recruits win, then they were done training for the entire day.  If over the eight hour training day the recruits don't beat AH, then they have to clean all the weapons in the armory.  AH had been doing this for years, ever since they became a Unit, and not once has any batch of recruits won.  In fact, none of AH had ever even been shot.

Sitting down in patch of shade, Matt opened his pizza and watched.

The recruits were panting, hiding out behind a building, sweat dripping down their faces and dried paint all over their clothes.  They had split up into two groups, an attempt to flank AH, no doubt.  By all means, the recruits should win.  Michael was sitting on the side, trying not to agitate the still-healing gunshot wound, and Jack was out of town.  Without Jack's calm stability or Michael's expert weaponry, AH was not at their peak performance.

Except Matt knew that AH, even in a weakened state such as this, was still hard to go against.  Geoff and his brilliant leadership, Ray's superb sharpshooting, Ryan's homicidal nature, and Gavin's tactics allowed Achievement Hunter to still steamroll over these recruits.

There was a huge shout and the group that was hiding came charging out into the open, firing their guns wildly at Geoff and Gavin.  Matt scanned the battlefield and noticed Ryan hiding in the shadows, fake knife in hand, and Ray lying prone on a bunch of boxes acting as a car.  The charging recruits all went down within seconds and the flanking group stalled.

Matt took a swig of his drink.  That was new.  One recruit in the front, shorter and stockier than the others, started shouting.  Matt was too far to hear any of the words, but the recruits all nodded and seemed to follow his direction.  One of them, a blonde girl, pulled out a knife and disappeared into the streets.  Two others slid into a building, heading towards Ryan's position.  The other three slowly walked down the street towards Geoff and Gavin, guns at the ready.

This looked promising.  Matt gathered his impromptu lunch and jogged down to where Michael was standing in front of a monitor.

"Someone's been paying attention," Michael muttered under his breath, giving a brief wave to Matt.  "This is good form, sticking people where they belong instead of Leroy Jenkins-ing it up."

"Do you think they'll actually do something right?" Matt asked as the cameras tracked the movement of the recruits.

"I think they might," Michael nodded.

There was a short shout from Ray and Matt saw the blonde girl from earlier behind him, knife pressed against his throat.  Three soft pops came from Ryan's position and he was down, red paint splattered across his front as the two recruits ran to catch up to the other group.  The five of them together stalked Geoff and Gavin, shooting in short, precise bursts.  Matt hummed to himself in approval.  This looked nothing like the typical run-and-gun he had come to expect of recruits.  Michael was right, the short recruit who claimed himself as leader knew what the fuck he was doing.

"Now!"

The recruits unloaded on Geoff and Gavin and, while Plan G stood their ground and took down a few recruits, they were splattered in red paint within seconds.  Matt, however, didn't process any of that.  He was focused on the all too familiar voice that just spoke.  A voice he hadn't heard in years, not since he left to join the Agency.

The last time he heard that voice was a dark and warm night on the East Coast.  They were sprawled out on the beach, pointing at stars and thinking they were immortal and forever; foolishly believing in their hearts that they were the kind who lasted beyond the ages.  Instead, they were as brilliant and brief as a shooting star - hot and iridescent as they sung praises to each other with each hot press of lips on skin.

Memories that Matt had pushed away came flooding back.  A beautiful boy that sucked the air from Matt's lungs and left him aching for more; this star of a human being who wrapped himself next to Matt and never let go; the only person who Matt ever allowed himself to love; this gorgeous man who Matt left behind.

The recruits tore off their helmets in victory and all of Matt's suspicions were spot the fuck on.  The self appointed leader took off his helmet and smiled bright to the recruit standing beside him.  A smile that Matt could only dream about.  His face was still as soft as Matt remembered, despite the heavy scruff.  Then he laughed and, oh god, Matt never thought he'd hear that laugh again.

He's heard that love makes people do stupid things and, holy fucking shit, Matt was going to do something really stupid.  Geoff was congratulating the recruits and giving them leave for the rest of the day.  Michael was laughing at Ryan's pouting face and Matt was running.  He pushed past the recruits until he came face to face with none other than Jeremy Dooley, man of his fucking dreams.

Words left him as Jeremy's eyes slowly slid up to meet his own.  His breath vanished as Jeremy's eyes widened in recognition.  Matt wasn't sure who moved first but Jeremy had a hand at the back of his neck and Matt's hands were at Jeremy's cheeks and they were kissing.  Geoff whistled and Gavin squawked as they ushered the recruits away.

It was as though nothing had changed as an all too familiar feeling washed over him - warmth curling in his stomach and heart pounding like a bass drum.  Their mouths moved in tandem, years of practice behind it.  Jeremy had his spare hand wrapped tight around Matt's torso, bringing them closer.  Matt turned his head to the side and opened his mouth to Jeremy's.  It was just as hot as he remembered and electricity was running down Matt's entire body at the feeling of having Jeremy here in his arms again.

Slowly, almost regretfully, Jeremy pulled back, running his thumb across Matt's throat.  Matt opened his eyes and saw Jeremy's face, soft and tender, in front of him.  Matt couldn't begin to count the mornings he woke up from dreams of this.  He couldn't stop the stupid grin that spread across his face.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey yourself," Jeremy replied.  "Miss me?"

Matt only answered by pulling Jeremy up for another searing kiss.  They would still have to talk about Jeremy joining the Agency, about how Matt left without a second glance or word, but for now they were here and they were together again.  For now, all Matt wanted was to hold his lover again and relearn all the curves and valleys of Jeremy's body - to see if he still had the dimples in his back or if his thighs were still as sensitive as before.

Fumbling against each other, the two of them backed into one of the dumb particleboard buildings.  Jeremy grabbed onto Matt's thighs and effortlessly lifted him into the air before lowering the two of them onto the dusty ground.  This was a place Matt was all to familiar with, on his back with Jeremy caging him in and staring him down with hungry eyes.

"God, I missed you," Jeremy whispered before lowing his lips to Matt's throat.  "I missed your stupid noodle arms and dorky laugh."  He gave a sharp bite to Matt's collarbone and Matt gasped, back arching into Jeremy's solid body.

"God fucking dammit, Jeremy," Matt reached up and dug his fingers into Jeremy's back, spreading his legs apart as Jeremy nestled in, slotting them together like puzzle pieces.  "I thought about you every goddamn day.  Of your arms and legs and feeling you all around me like this."

It was like their first time all over again, with hands trying to be everywhere at once as they tore at each other's clothes.  Matt's glasses went flying to one corner as Jeremy kissed him hard and deep.  The ground was hard and there was going to be dirt fucking everywhere, but Matt could hardly care as they were pressed together, skin to skin.  Jeremy's body was exquisite and the sunlight made him glow.  Matt sat up, legs still wrapped around Jeremy's waist, and draped his arm around Jeremy's shoulders.

Time seemed to slow as Matt and Jeremy kissed.  It was as though they had all the time in the world to relearn each other, to add moves to a dance they had long since perfected.  Matt gave a slow, sensual roll of his hips and Jeremy's hands tightened against his back, nails biting the skin.  Matt was aching with arousal, with need and desire, but his heart was aching too.

"I love you," Matt whispered into Jeremy's warm shoulder as their hips rocked together.  "I love you so fucking much.  I've always loved you, Jeremy."

Jeremy huffed a soft laugh against Matt's ear.  His thick, warm hand enclosed around their dicks, pulling and tugging and twisting in a way that always had Matt a babbling mess.  This time was no different and Matt thrust into the tightness of Jeremy's fist.

"I love you too, idiot," Jeremy replied softly.  "Always have, always will."

Matt came all over Jeremy's hand with a soft cry that left his limbs shaking.  Jeremy followed quickly and they collapsed into a sweaty, dirty heap onto the ground.  They curled up together, just like before, and Jeremy sucked a massive hickey onto Matt's neck, just like before.  The sweat cooled and Matt's heart slowed to a normal rate.  Jeremy was tracing mindless patterns across his chest.

Like nothing ever changed.

"I'm still not happy with you," Jeremy said, reaching out and lacing their fingers together.  "For abandoning me and shit.  But being here?  I kinda get it now.  This is a scary as shit life and, well, I sorta understand you wanting me to be safe."

Matt lifted up their joined hands and kissed Jeremy's fingers one by one.  "How did you find out?"

Jeremy shrugged and kissed Matt's shoulder.  "I know some people.  Told me you were here and on the B-Team.  And, well, I had to come too.  I'd go with you, wherever.  You know that, right?"

"Yeah," Matt breathed, staring at Jeremy's eyes.  "I know."

Jeremy smiled one of his blinding smiles and Matt couldn't help but kiss him - to taste that smile on his lips again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fucking the end got super sweet and I'm listening to goddamn love songs and crying.


	7. The Assignment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Funhaus takes to Iran on one of the most dangerous missions yet. They've been here before, brushes with death and bullets flying overhead, but this time was different.

"Alrighty boys, we're coming in hot!" Joel shouted as the chopper spiraled around the dilapidated landscape.

"If we came in any hotter, it'd be a damn volcano!" Lawrence shouted back.  "You sure this is where Kdin said the safest spot would be?"

"Once this town is cleared out, we're good to go!"

Bruce checked his rifle, tightened the straps of his body armor, and braced himself.  Peake and Kovic were on the mini-guns and Bruce could hear the bullets of the enemy ping off the helicopter.  When they were told this was a suicide mission, Bruce hadn't really believed it.  Funhaus did dangerous shit all the time, most of which they caused, but fuck it all, this was an actual, honest to god, suicide run.

"There are enemies literally everywhere!" James cried out.  "Is there even an army to rescue?!"

"Whether there is or not doesn't matter," Joel said.  "Our orders are to clear this town so we are fucking  _clearing this town_."

The chopper landed with a  _thunk_ and the Funhaus Unit jumped off.  Instantly, bullets were flying overhead as the radicals fired on them.  The six of the dove behind buildings and Bruce found himself with James and Adam as he tried to catch his breath.  They were the Funhaus Unit, known for miraculous luck against near impossible odds.  This is what they trained for and lived for.

Bouncing on the balls of his feet, Bruce stepped behind cover and fired.  Two enemies fell over, brains splattering the wall.  They moved forward as a cohesive unit, watching out for each other and double checking corners as they slowly made their way across the town.  Matt ran up buildings with his knife bared, stabbing RPGs and snipers.  Joel scouted ahead, gesturing silently to the quickest routes.  Adam hefted his sniper rifle and took down anyone at a turret.

Despite all their strengths, they were six men against an army of terrorists.  Shit happened.

Bruce peered around a corner, the rest of his Unit behind him, waiting for the go ahead.  This would be the most dangerous stretch of land - a wide open plaza surrounded by buildings.  It was perfect for an ambush.  He lifted up his binoculars and glanced at the windows for snipers or RPGs.  Everything looked clear and Bruce knew he had to make a decision.

Heart pounding in his chest, adrenaline coursing through his veins, Bruce stepped out of the corner.

All at once, each window had a person in it, guns all aimed at Bruce.  He saw a flash of light and felt a deafening explosion to his left.  Heat seared over him and he was flung far to the right, crashing into the building.

The world was spinning and his ears were ringing.  The buildings wobbled and the entire ground was on  _fire_.  He couldn't feel his left arm or leg and it hurt like fucking hell to breathe.  Bruce coughed and tasted copper in his mouth.  Someone was screaming.  He tried to shake his head clear but instead he felt a pounding behind his eyes.  He let his head fall limp against the ground and let the world spin around him.

Brief snippets of light pierced his mind.  Joel's concerned face over his as the buildings collapsed behind him.  Lawrence screaming very creative insults.  The sound of a chopper landing.  James's strong arms carrying him.  Adam holding his hand.  Tears on Matt's face.

Then searing pain.  God, it felt like Bruce's bones were on fire.  He screamed but couldn't make any sound.  His chest ached and he couldn't feel his entire left side.  It felt like his brain was chipping away at his skull with a sledgehammer and why did it fucking hurt so much?  He was melting, inside out, and he couldn't move or do anything about it.  Bruce could only lay there in agony, praying and hoping to god it would all go away.

When he opened his eyes, Bruce was floating.

He was everywhere and no where.  He was part of the great energy of the world, floating along and just being a part of it.  He could see everything - all the colors of the universe and the glorious incandescent nature of reality.  He was free, with no body to hold him back.  He was at peace and he was one.

Bruce was also looking down at a pale, limp body in a hospital bed.  A stupidly familiar body, even connected to tubes and wires.  God, it looked awful, half covered in cast and bruises like the rainbow across its torso.  Whatever happened to this poor fuck should have killed it, honestly.  Bruce lowered himself closer to the body, his hands hovering over the strangely familiar face.

If Bruce wasn't this strange, floating entity, he would have gasped.

That was his fucking body lying in bed.  It was  _him_ who looked like hell chewed him up and spit him out.  But - if that was his body then what the fuck was he doing outside of it?  Where was he?  What was he?

The door opened and a familiar face stepped in.  He sat down beside the bed and Bruce hovered nearby.  He could feel himself being tugged away, being pulled into the blackness of peace and oneness, but he needed to stay here.  He needed to know what Matt Peake had to say.

"Hey," Matt started.  "It's, um, been a couple weeks now since we got back.  Fucking first mission we ever failed, man.  Director Hullum still hasn't let us go back into the field.  Spoole is going to graduate in two weeks.  Him and his friend Jeremy are fucking phenomenal. God, you should see the way they move in training exercises."

Bruce settled down beside Matt, drinking in every word said to his motionless body.

"We, uh," Matt coughed, his eyes bright.  "We still haven't told Spoole about what happened.  He's busy training and we don't want to worry him.  Because you're going to pull through, aren't you Bruce?  A goddamn RPG can't keep you down forever, right?"

Something tugged at Bruce and he felt himself slipping away.  He could feel himself becoming part of the universe, floating away into the ether that surrounded the world.  By god it was tempting to give in, Bruce realized.  To slip away from this harsh reality and become part of the everything - to become one with all the matter in all the world.  He slowly let go, allowed himself to fly.

"Sean would die if you did," Matt whispered softly.  "I think we all would."

No!  Bruce snapped himself back to reality.  No!  He would not go out.  He would not slip away unnoticed and, god fucking dammit, he was not going to leave Spoole without kissing him at least once.

He wasn't going to leave Joel and his angular grace.  He wasn't going to leave Lawrence and his soft, but unyielding anger.  He wasn't going to leave Adam and his goddamn beautiful face.  He wasn't going to leave Matt and his soft, sweet personality.  He wasn't going to leave James and his broad shoulders.

Fuck no!  Bruce wasn't fucking leaving.  He was here with his boys and fucking here he was going to fucking stay!  He pulled in every bit of reality and rage he had and forced himself to remember having a body - to remember fingers and toes; arms and kneecaps; ears and tongue and eyes.  Bruce remembered the RPG explosion, the searing heat and pain in his body.

Everything went narrow and tight as Bruce contained himself into a tiny mortal body once more.

He opened his eyes and screamed.

 

It could be worse, Bruce reminded himself as he clumsily turned the page of his book one handed.  He could be fucking dead, after all.  Still, he definitely won the award for closest to death injuries.  His left arm and leg were shattered from the shock wave and, if it weren't for the body armor, his rib cage would have been turned to dust.  Instead, he only broke half of his left ribs, collapsed his lung, and disrupted all his internal organs.  He had a concussion, some mild hemorrhaging in his brain, and almost died only, like, twice.

But here he was, alive and mostly well.  His room was decorated with balloons and flowers and he actually ran out of room for Get Well Cards on his board.  Everyone at the Agency visited him at least twice and he got a stern talking to from Director Hullum.

Apparently, after the RPG blast, Funhaus decided the town wasn't worth saving.  Lawrence called in an airstrike as Joel called in for evac.  They loaded up Bruce into the chopper and flew to the hospital as fast as they could.  They failed their mission spectacularly.  Civilians were killed, terrorists escaped, and the marines had to escape on their own.  Then it was into the ICU and surgery and everyone thought Bruce was a goner and no one was thinking of the repercussions of such a failure.

"Our Agency doesn't make these mistakes," Director Hullum had said to Bruce.  "You and your unit need to learn your priorities.  Destroying the entire city, killing hundreds, and deliberately disobeying a direct order.  If your team wasn't one of the best in this agency, your asses would be out the door this instant!"

It was a talk that Funhaus received almost monthly.  Their need to look out for each other before the Agency was a sticking point in their effectiveness, but it wasn't about to fucking stop.  It was that kind of companionship that made them stronger as a unit and Hullum knew it.

Today was the day Spoole graduated from training.  This was the day he was welcomed as a full fledged Agent and assigned a Unit and Bruce was fucking stuck in a hospital bed.  They almost let him out yesterday but then his left kidney decided to stop working.  So they decided to keep him under further watch, just in case. Bruce never liked that kidney anyway - what did the fucker ever do for Bruce other than keep him here?

Bruce hadn't seen Spoole at all since the accident and it was actually killing him a little bit inside.  Nothing like a near death experience to help Bruce remember what was important.  His relationship with his boys was the most important thing in the world and Spoole was part of that now.  The six year age gap between him and Sean was insignificant compared to inviting him to join their six-way relationship.

Would the others even agree to it?  When they first met Spoole, he was a scrawny teenager, a little brother to the six of them.  Would it be just too weird for the others if Bruce invited Sean to join them?  Bruce groaned and let his book fall shut.  He couldn't bring it up - not now.  Not with all the shit that just happened.  Sean's place among the Funhaus boys would have to wait until they knew which Unit he joined.

And Bruce should fucking  _be there_ for the ceremony.  Fuck!  He threw the book as far as he could and it slammed on the wall before collapsing into a crumpled heap onto the ground.

"Is this a bad time, then?"

Bruce's eyes shot to the door and there they were - his six boys dressed to the nines, Spoole even left his baseball cap behind.  They smiled and shuffled into the room and Bruce felt so much love and adoration for these men that it almost brought him to tears.

"Why aren't you at the party?" he asked.  "I mean, all of 636 must be there.  Celebrating the best batch of recruits to ever come through the Agency."

Sean laughed shyly and sat down on the edge of Bruce's bed.  He looked so goddamn gorgeous in a suit, gingery hair parted nicely and the slight flush across his cheeks.  "It wouldn't be a party without you."

If Bruce wasn't half broken, he would have grabbed Spoole and kissed him then and there.  But he couldn't move and that was for the best anyway - would have been absolute shit timing and all.  James lifted up a bunch of bottles of sparkling cider, since alcohol was a bad mix with Bruce's medication, and Adam pulled out pizza and Joel had a whole fucking cake.  They gathered around Bruce's bed and ate and talked and laughed.

It felt so good and so complete that Bruce realized that the Funhaus Unit needed to have Sean Poole in its ranks.  They were going to one-up Achievement Hunter and have a team of seven men.  It was simply meant to be.  Seeing them all together, all seven of them, meant something.  They found little orphan Spoole in Los Angeles and they needed him.  It simply wouldn't be right to not have Spoole in their Unit.

"Hey, Sean," Bruce said.  "Where did Hullum assign you?"

All at once, everyone grinned.  Suddenly very suspicious, Bruce glared at each member of his unit in turn before landing on Spoole.

"I'm in your Unit, of course," Spoole said.  "Agent Sean Poole of the Funhaus Unit, reporting for duty."

"Fuck yes!" Bruce shouted, fist pumping the air.  "FUCK YES!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's definitely a chapter coming up about Spoole's graduation and a few more training chapters in the interim as well. Stuff that happens while Bruce is in his coma, pretty much.
> 
> Like, a lot of shit happens when Bruce is unconscious and bedridden.
> 
> Thanks for the support, my dears! I really like this AU and I'm glad you are enjoying it too :)


	8. The Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Accidents happen in the field all the time, that was the first rule of working in B-Team, learn to live with your mistakes.
> 
> It was a lesson that Matt learned a long time ago but somehow, Funhaus's most recent failure affected him more than the others before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some timeline things: The training program for the Recruits is 6 weeks long with a week of resting time before graduation. So Week 2 is when Joel discovers Spoole is in the recruit program. Week 3 is when Funhaus goes on their mission, when AH trains the recruits and Matt/Jeremy happens. Week 5 is when Bruce wakes up and Week 7 is the graduation.
> 
> Everything else from last chapter and here on out should be fairly chronological.
> 
> Also, pretending that it's easy to transport injured people across the globe because fiction.
> 
> Here's hoping my continuity doesn't fail me again.
> 
> So sorry for all this confusion. Love youuu :)

Matt burst into the Cave with Jeremy by his side.  Caleb had run to him, crying about Funhaus and Bruce and  _oh god everything went to shit_ and Matt didn't hesitate to run down and see for himself.  Mentally, he ran though a timeline of Funhaus.  It was yesterday morning when they flew out and Matt and Kdin got all their Intel.  They would have landed in Iran sometime late last night, gotten a few hours of sleep and a debriefing, then onto the mission.  It was mid-afternoon now and far too soon for something dangerous to happen.

Matt had been in the agency for a couple of years now and this was hardly the first time he'd sent agents into a hot zone and it definitely wasn't the first time he'd gotten a call that a mission went sour.  But something about this one  _hurt_.  He stormed into the Cave and walked up to the massive supercomputer and wall-size monitor on the far side of the Cave.  Cheesy, but it worked for them.

Each agent was outfitted with cameras and microphones which was transmitted straight to the Cave.  It allowed the B-Team to keep track of the agents in the field, offer help and advice, learn from mistakes, and monitor their skills.  It had been extremely effective in the Agency and Matt loved watching different units at work in the field.  On the massive monitor were six different transmissions, one for each of Funhaus, with their name seared into the top corner.  The video was paused with them in the chopper, ready for insertion.

"Matt, don't," Steffie caught his arm before he could hit the 'play' button.

Coming out of his mind for a second, Matt looked around.  All of B-Team was there, white and clammy, a few with tears in their eyes.  Kdin was off to the side, completely closed in on himself.  For a brief second, Matt felt really fucking selfish.  Kdin was just as much a part of the planning as he was and whatever happened to Funhaus was on their shoulders but all Matt could think about was _his_ guilt and _his_ failure to _his_ team.

"Steffie, I need to know," Matt whispered.  "I've been in charge of their missions ever since they became a unit.  I can't not know."

"Okay," Steffie nodded.  "But it's not your fault, alright?  I swear, it's not your fault.  Don't ever think it is."

Matt didn't answer as he pressed the play button.  At once, the six screens came to life and the Funhaus Unit's voices filtered through the sound system.  Lawrence was fucking nervous about the whole mission and made it very clear to Joel, who only brushed it off as they landed.  It was always damn incredible to watch Funhaus in action.  Of all the myriad of units in the entire RT Agency, none of them were as close to perfect cohesion as Funhaus.  These men knew where each other was going to be, they trusted each other with life and limb and, to be honest, Matt was floored by it.

Glancing over each screen with a practiced eye, Matt watched as Funhaus traversed the dilapidated town.  They pulled in all the stops - Adam's sniping and Joel's reconnaissance.  Bruce's impeccable leadership under fire and Lawrence's steady presence.  James laughed with each grenade thrown and Matt Peake was fucking brutal with his knife.  It was, as always, a perfection mission.

They were hiding behind a building now, Bruce in the lead.  Matt trained his eyes onto Bruce's feed.  Bruce peeked around the corner and saw a huge, open plaza.  The rest of the unit was so silent that Matt could hear the sigh that escaped Bruce's lips before he stepped out.

Matt gasped as terrorists appeared in every window on Bruce's screen.  There was a flash of light from one and Matt could see the rocket headed straight for Bruce.  He cried out and Jeremy was instantly beside him, clasping their hands together and tucking himself right beneath Matt's shoulder.  The rocket veered to the side and the explosion shot out Bruce's microphone and his camera feed blacked out.

Heart pounding, Matt searched the other screens before settling on James.  He ran up to Bruce's body first, knelt down beside the broken, bloody body, and let out the most agonizing scream that Matt has ever heard.  It was absolute chaos.  Funhaus was screaming, the buildings were burning and Bruce was fucking broken, broken, broken.  There were tears spilling down his cheeks and the only thing Matt could think of was that it was his fault.

His goddamn fault.

Jeremy squeezed Matt's hand comfortingly and Matt pulled himself back to the present, back to Jeremy's warm body next to his and their hands intertwined together.  They'd been together only a day and Matt suddenly didn't know how he survived without Jeremy by his side (where he should always be).

"Shut it off."

Director Hullum's voice was firm and cold.  Steffie rushed to shut off the playback and the screen flickered to black.  Matt let out a shuddering breath he didn't realize he was holding and if Jeremy hadn't been by his side, he surely would have fallen.

"Agent Jenzen and Agent Bragg, to my office please," Director Hullum ordered.  "Recruit Dooley, back to your quarters.  I need to speak with B-Team."

Jeremy gave a soft tug on Matt's hand and, with stiff limbs, he followed, Kdin right behind them.  Matt let Jeremy lead him out of the Cave, his mind back in Iran, back with Bruce's dying body and that recurring thought that  _he_ did it.  This was all his fault.  The hallway to the elevator never felt so long and the only thing keeping Matt even remotely sane was Jeremy.

"It'll be okay," Jeremy whispered as the elevator went up.  "My roommate knows Funhaus.  They're tough guys."

Matt nodded numbly.  The elevator dinged at the second floor.  Jeremy pressed a kiss to Matt's cheek and stepped out.  It felt so cold without him.  The doors slid shut and the elevator rose again.  A tense and awkward silence filled the air around them.

Everyone in B-Team was given a couple of units that were theirs and Kdin and Matt had been in charge of Achievement Hunter and Funhaus since they came to the Agency.  Every time Michael was shot, or when Ray got tortured that one time, or when Joel went missing for hours, Matt felt each of those moments as if he was there.  These twelve men were his responsibility and he would go to hell before one of them died on his watch.

And Bruce was dying, that much was certain.

The two of them stepped in to Hullum's office and waited.

"Do you know where he is?" Matt eventually asked, when the silence of his swirling thoughts became too much.

"They airlifted him to a hospital for emergency surgery," Kdin's voice was hoarse.  "Once he's fairly stable, they'll fly him back here for more intensive care."

"How-" Matt's voice caught in his throat.  He swallowed and tried again.  "How long?"

Kdin let out a long breath and closed his eyes.  His hands were clenched into tight fists on his lap.  "That recording was two hours ago.  We haven't heard anything since then."

Matt's chest caved in and he suddenly couldn't breathe.  Two hours ago he was curled up around Jeremy in his room, not once thinking about the suicide mission he just sent Funhaus on.  He was so wrapped up in Jeremy, his lover and partner in everything, that he wasn't there in the Cave when Funhaus was deployed.  If he had been there, he could've seen the RPG, he could have warned Bruce in time, kept him in one piece.

"Hey," Kdin snapped his fingers in front of Matt's face.  "I know what's going on in that big brain of yours."

"I should've been there," Matt said.  "Instead I was... I was..."

"You were with Jeremy, goddamn light of your fucking life," Kdin finished.  "Look, we all know about him.  The entire fucking Agency knows what happened between you two yesterday.  Making out in front of all of AH?  They gossip more than old ladies.  That shit spread like wildfire."

Matt laughed a little at that.  Geoff had always been notorious for his gossip streak.  He could talk for hours and hours about the agents and their lives - of course he spread news about Matt and Jeremy.

"It still shouldn't have interfered."

"Do you think my partner interferes with me?" Kdin shot back.  "Or anyone else's for that matter?  They keep us grounded, Matt, safe and sane.  Don't lie to me, because I saw that Jeremy was holding you up at the end there.  Don't ever think your relationship is a fucking weakness because it isn't."

"No, of course not!" Matt protested.  "Jesus, Kdin.  Jeremy is literally the best thing to happen to me and I'd be so fucking lost without him."

"Okay, no need to get all sappy on me," Kdin rolled his eyes.

"But I still have a job to do," Matt pressed on.  "I have a responsibility to my agents to keep them safe.  Even if I haven't seen Jeremy in, Christ, fucking years, I should have been there for Funhaus.  Especially because I _knew_ what we were sending them into.  I knew it was a fucking suicide run and, in any other circumstances, I would have fucking been there every step of the way!  I was _supposed_ to be there."

"Then how do you think I feel?" Kdin burst out in his fantastic rage.  "Dammit, Matt, I  _was_ there.  I watched Bruce get flung to the wall like a wet paper towel.  I heard, in real time, James scream and Joel cry.  I was screaming at them over the comms and I saw Lawrence call in the airstrike that decimated the entire town.  I couldn't prepare myself for that.  One second everything was fine and then it all went to fucking _shit_.  Did you want that, Matt?  Because let me tell you, it was so much worse to watch in reality!"

The door to the office opened and Director Hullum stepped in delicately.  Matt swallowed his rebuttal against Kdin and slouched into his seat.

"By all means," Hullum said.  "I think there are some agents in the shooting range that didn't hear you."

"Sorry, sir," Matt and Kdin said in unison.

Director Hullum only hummed and sat down at his desk, pulling some papers out of the drawers and leveling them each with a heavy stare.  Matt had only met with Director Hullum on occasion.  B-Team usually worked through Gus Sorola when it came to administrative details.  He'd always believed that the Director was a stern and cold man, aloof and untouched by the gritty life of the agents.  The man sitting across the table, however, pulling out a glass decanter of bourbon, was anything but cold and aloof.  If anything, Director Hullum looked like a fond father, weary and worn down from his children's antics.

"First and foremost, boys, this wasn't your fault," Hullum said, pouring three tumblers of the bourbon and gesturing for them to drink.  "I should have known better than to accept the assignment.  I knew it was too dangerous but I took it anyway and sent my most unreliable team to do the job."

"Sir-" Matt started, personally affronted at Funhaus being called 'unreliable', but Director Hullum cut him off.

"I know you are fond of the Funhaus Agents, but they can be unreliable," Hullum said, a somewhat fond twinkle in his eye.  "Regardless, they never should have gone to Iran.  I don't want you to carry this failure on your shoulders.  You did the best you could and were able to scrounge up enough Intel in a few hours that kept them quite safe.  I am very proud of you."

"With all due respect, sir," Kdin said, setting down his empty glass.  "We have never hesitated to keep agents home if the mission was too risky.  We never sent the Know Duo to Ukraine for the riots.  We flat-out refused to even research the gangs in Japan when you asked to send the How Two Unit there.  We should have known better than to send Funhaus into Iran."

Matt took a cautious sip of his drink.  He remembered those missions.  The riots in Ukraine were too dangerous for two agents alone and they ended up sending in Rwby to clean up those streets.  Japanese gangs were notorious for combating special agents and there was a huge shouting match between Trevor and Gus to not send How Two there.  Matt should have known better than to send Funhaus to Iran.  He could have refused.  He should have refused.  He took another drink and let the alcohol warm his body.

"I understand," Hullum said.  "Guilt is a hard thing to displace, especially when you are as close to the tragedy as you two are.  I'm giving you both two weeks leave.  You can stay here, at 636, or spend your time at home.  Should you need it, I can arrange a meeting with our resident counselor.  I'm sure Dr. Gray would appreciate having more patients."

Matt nodded.  Everyone at the Agency has met with Emily Gray, local psychiatrist of 636.  She was terrifying but brilliant and all the agents benefited from her sessions.

"Thank you, sir," Kdin stood up.  Matt fumbled with his half full tumbler before standing as well.

"Agent Bragg, a word please," Hullum called.  "Kdin, you're free to go.  I'll call you when we hear more of Bruce's condition."

Kdin nodded.  He spared a pitying glance for Matt and left the office.  It felt suddenly much more intimidating than before without Kdin as a buffer between Matt and Director Hullum.  He sat back down in his seat awkwardly and let his hands fall limp in his lap.  Hullum leveled him with an intense stare and Matt shifted awkwardly.

"Tell me about Jeremy Dooley," Hullum eventually said, leaning back in his chair.

"Um, what about him?" Matt's heart started pounding in his chest.

Hullum's eyes went warm and twinkled down at Matt.  "You should know better than to try and keep a secret that Geoff Ramsey is privy to.  Tell me what makes him so important to you."

Matt's stomach twisted and he couldn't stop the small grin on his face as he thought of Jeremy.  "Sir, he's everything to me.  We met in school years ago and just hit it off, I guess.  One thing led to another and we realized, I guess, that we were going to be together forever.  That's just who we were.  But I had applied for the Agency and got accepted and, well, you know this life.  I couldn't bring him into it so I left.  Then he followed me."

Director Hullum gave a noncommittal hum and Matt pressed on.  His chest filled with warmth of the love he held for Jeremy, of this strong, brave, brilliant man from Boston, the anchor of his life.

"I love him, sir.  God, I love him so much I might burst from it.  I'm not a romantic, I don't like being cheesy or sappy, but I can't help it with him.  He keeps me grounded and alive and I'm going to spend the rest of my life with him.  I'm not going to lose him again - I think it would kill me."

Matt sat up straight suddenly, a realization coming to him.

"That's why this hurts so much, sir.  Seeing Bruce so broken and hearing the rest of his unit crying out for him.  I can't imagine what I would do if I was there and Jeremy was the one dying.  Just... knowing that I sent Funhaus into that kind of danger makes me feel like I shot Bruce, that I'm the reason he's in the hospital, dying."

"Love makes fools of us all," Hullum nodded.  He leveled Matt with a long and weary stare and Matt noticed the huge bags under his eyes.  "This Agency is all I have and you agents are like my children.  I couldn't be happier for Funhaus, or for you, in forging relationships while living this lifestyle, but you know how I worry.  Funhaus has been compromised more than once because of their relationship and I don't want the same to happen to you.  Jeremy is on his way to being in a great unit and soon he'll be out on the field, dodging bullets and explosions."

Matt knew this, of course he knew the dangers that Jeremy would experience as an agent in the field.  He just tried not to think about it, tried not to imagine a future where he'll be watching Jeremy in action, in danger.

"What I need to know, Matt," -he jumped at the sound of his first name coming from Director Hullum- "is are you going to forfeit a mission to save him?  Would you sacrifice this Agency for one man?"

Matt bit his lip and looked down at his hands.  It sounded like a trick question.  If he said he would never betray the Agency, then would Hullum judge him for not truly caring for Jeremy?  But if he said he would save Jeremy and destroy the Agency, that was near blasphemy.  Outside of that, Matt knew that he could never watch Jeremy die.  He couldn't stay in the Cave and watch Jeremy bleed out on screen.  He refused.

"I trust that Jeremy will be strong enough to survive," Matt eventually said.  "I doubt I'll ever have to make that decision, sir."

"Very good," Hullum said with a small smile.  "You have two weeks leave but try not to distract Jeremy from his training.  You will be first to know of Bruce's condition."

"Thank you, sir," Matt stood up, chair scraping on the wooden floor.

"Remember, this isn't your fault," Hullum said.  "Accidents happen, Agent Bragg.  All we can do is learn and move on."

Matt nodded and left.  He had no idea where Kdin went and, since he was on leave, he didn't have to go back to the Cave.  He didn't want to go back to his room either, trapped by four walls with nothing but his raging thoughts for company.  Funhaus was still in Iran, waiting at the hospital and Achievement Hunter was out for the day.

He never realized exactly how alone he was.  While he would certainly call all the agents friends of his, there was a special friendship between him and the units he was in charge of.  With them gone, Matt had no one else.  He stepped out of the elevator and realized that, without thinking, he was looking for Jeremy.  He hadn't been on the second floor since he was a recruit.  Not much has changed since then.

Jeremy had told him where his room was once and Matt trudged his way there without thinking.  Jeremy would know what to do, what to say.  Honestly, it was a miracle that Matt survived without him for so long.  He knocked on the door and was greeted with a gingery, hat-wearing recruit.

"Hi," Matt said.  "I'm, uh, looking for Jeremy?"

The recruit's eyes got big and wide and he actually giggled, a high pitched little giggle.  Christ almighty, this recruit was actually fucking adorable.

"You're Matt!" he said.  "Finally!  Jesus Christ, he never shuts up about you!"

"You're his roommate, then?" Matt guessed.

"Spoole, yep!  Come in then, he's just asleep."

Matt stepped into the dorm and it was just like he remembered from his recruit days.  Except this room was considerably cleaner than the room Matt had shared with Trevor.  Jeremy was on his bed, asleep and wrapped around a pillow.  Matt's heart melted at the sight and he didn't hesitate to crawl into the bed behind him.  Already, he could feel the tension leaving his body as he breathed in Jeremy's familiar scent.

Spoole stood to the side, still giggling a little with a grin on his face.

"I'll leave you two, then," he said.  "Sleep well!"

Matt didn't have time to give a creative response as Spoole practically danced out of the room.  He tucked his face against Jeremy's broad back, wrapped his arms tight around Jeremy's waist and pulled him close.  Somewhere, halfway across the globe, he knew that Funhaus was doing the same, huddled together and waiting for Bruce.  He knew and suddenly felt so connected to them.  He could understand now, what Funhaus went through every single fucking time they were sent out on a mission and he admired them for it even more.

And that just made the guilt in his chest ache more and more.  He held onto Jeremy tight and promised that he would never let him go.  He promised to himself that he would keep Funhaus safe.  He was never, ever, going to let them feel this pain again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pissed off at myself because I rewrote this chapter, saved it, and it got lost into the ether of the Internet. Bullshit okay?
> 
> Also, nothing is better than writing a chapter where all three Matt's happen. And Jerematt is probably the best love story I've ever written, just saying.


	9. The Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Michael heard was that Bruce was dying. He thought for certain that was going to be worst news of the week but he couldn't be more wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, another chapter so soon - I can't stop. If I stop then my muse is going to stop and I'll never come back so I'm pumping out as much as I can.

It was absolute chaos in the Agency.  Rumors were flying around about what happened to Bruce on the mission to the Middle East and the only consistent thing Michael heard was that Bruce was dying and the silent, but firm decision to not tell the Recruit named Sean Poole.

The recruits were none of Michael's business - other than their incredible performance the other day against his Unit.  Funhaus, on the other hand, was very much his business.

Ever since they landed back in Austin, Funhaus was holed up in their own room and Michael couldn't blame them.  He got shot all the time, literally.  Somehow when AH went on missions, Michael collected the bullets while the others got off scotch free.  There was one time when Ray ended up tortured and it almost killed Michael to see him so broken.  He couldn't imagine what these guys were experiencing.

The six of them, all of Achievement Hunter, knocked on the Funhaus door.  Ray had a bouquet of flowers and Jack had a Get Well card.  They didn't really do emotions or touchy-feely moments, but they could allow this moment for Funhaus.

The door opened and they were greeted with Joel's sad and weary face.  His face was dark with exhaustion and he had bags deep beneath his eyes.

"Can we come in?" Geoff asked.

Joel nodded and stepped back.   Lawrence was collapsed on the couch, bottle of whiskey in his hand.  James was hunched over, arms wrapped around himself.  Adam stood by the window, tapping fingers against the glass and Matt was curled on the floor by James's knees.

It was so quiet and broken in their place that Michael felt instantly off kilter.  Without Bruce, the Funhaus Unit looked so small and fragile.

"I know we can't say anything to help," Geoff said.  "But we're friends, family even, and we just want you to know that we're here for you.  Whatever you need, whenever, our door is always open to you."

"Can you... stay here?" Matt asked from the floor.  He looked up at them with wet eyes and Michael nodded without thinking.  "Just... it's quiet."

Gavin appeared next to Michael with a stack of movies and a questioning smile.  Lawrence sat up with muggy eyes and gave a hesitant nod.  With the softest squeal Michael's ever heard leave Gavin's mouth, he jumped to the television and started up a movie.

Somehow, the eleven of them gathered up in front of the little screen and watched some stupid horror film that Gavin had been  _dying_ to watch.  No one was paying attention to the movie though - Michael saw that Adam kept checking his phone and Joel kept glancing over at Lawrence's steadily emptying bottle.  James was whispering to Matt, hands kneading into his shoulders.

At this point it was literally a waiting game and they all knew it.  Bruce was in surgery and, until he was stable or - or gone, they couldn't do anything.

Michael glanced around the room at his Achievement Hunters, his Unit.  If any of them were lying in the hospital, dying, he honestly wouldn't be functioning.  He'd be just as comatose and broken as Funhaus - and he wasn't even in a relationship with his Unit, not like Funhaus.  The movie pushed forward, people dying in more gruesome fashions on the screen.

Someone's phone rang and everyone jumped.  Ray grabbed his cell phone and, whispering apologies, walked into the kitchen with the phone pressed against his ear.  They all turned back to the movie.  Something exploded on the screen and James cried out, flinching backwards into his seat.

"Sorry," he muttered, bending over and curling himself against Matt.  "I just... the explosion."

Michael's heart stuttered in his chest.  Of course, PTSD was a common occurrence in the Agency and they all suffered from it in various degrees, but to see it so fresh and vivid in James's face was painful.  James was always so strong and solid in the face of traumatic events that it fucking hurt to see him flinch.  Michael moved to the armchair and rested his hands on James's broad-ass shoulders and dug his thumbs into the tense muscles there.

"It's going to be okay," Michael whispered.  "We all know Bruce and it's going to be okay.  He's the toughest son of a bitch I know.  He'll make it."

Ray poked his head out of the kitchen with an apologetic smile on his face.  "Sorry, I gotta run, guys.  Tina and I have something to do.  Hey, Funhaus, keep on, alright?  We aren't part of this Agency for nothing, remember?"

They all waved at Ray as he walked out, the door slamming shut behind him.  Michael sighed and leaned against James.  Ray had been doing this a lot recently, leaving them behind and doing his own thing with Tina.  They were really fucking cute, Michael had to admit, and he'd never seen Ray so happy except for when he was with her, but fuck it, Ray was part of their unit and Michael was allowed a bit of possessiveness.

Gavin let out a long, heavy sigh and leaned backwards against Ryan with wet eyes.  Fucking, even if Michael was okay with Ray and Tina, his boi was shattered over it and Michael protected his boi.  A heavy air fell over them and Jack huffed, tears slipping down his cheeks.  What a sad and miserable group they had become.  Ten of the best agents in the Rooster Teeth Agency, practically drowning in depression.

When the movie ended, Gavin punched in another one.  Hours passed as they played horror movie after horror movie until, one by one, they all passed out.  Michael didn't, though.  Michael stayed awake and watched as the others fell asleep.  Even in their sleep, they looked so frail and sad.  The Funhaus guys were twitching in their sleep, probably reliving the explosions, and Gavin had curled himself around Ryan.

The phone rang and Adam jumped out of his seat, eyes wide and groggy, grabbing at it.

"Hello?  Yes?" Adam answered.  "Stable?  Oh, thank god.  When can we see him?  Okay, three days.  We'll be there.  Thank you, thank you so much."

Adam hung up the phone.  He looked up at Michael and promptly burst into tears.  Michael knelt down in front of Adam and pulled him in for a hug.  Adam clutched Michael close to him, sobbing into his shoulder.

"He's okay," Adam cried.  "Fuck me, he's gonna be okay."

"Yeah, yeah," Michael rubbed Adam's back.  "Told you so, Kovic."

They fell asleep like that, huddle on the couch with a dumb movie playing in the background.

 

Michael woke up to the smell of waffles and bacon.  It was Geoff's special cooking, he could tell, and he stretched his arms and back as he opened his eyes.  He was on the couch at the Funhaus apartment.  He stood up, groggy and with a crick in his neck.

"Morning, sleepyhead!" Ray hollered from the kitchen.  "Breakfast is on, but you gotta get it now."

Rolling off the couch with a groan, Michael wandered over to the kitchen, rubbing sleep from his eyes.  Both crews were at the table, munching through waffles, bacon, eggs, and oatmeal.  Michael grabbed a cup of coffee from the counter and sipped it gently.

The Funhaus guys looked a lot better now than they did last night - Adam must have spread the good news about Bruce.  There was light in Adam's eyes again, Joel's face looked a little less ragged and James actually smiled.  Things weren't perfect, not by a long shot, but at least they were going to get better.

Bruce was going to make it.

Michael sat down at the table and listened as Ryan and Gavin explained play-by-play detail of how the recruits gave them a sound beating during training the other day and James demanded to know more details about Spoole and how he was doing.  Then Gavin said something which Ryan instantly protested and Geoff laughed as their argument devolved into Gavin squawking and Ryan flubbing his words.

Just another typical morning for Achievement Hunter.

"Gavvy just can't accept getting outsmarted by a bunch of recruits," Michael said.

"Michael!" Gavin cried out.  "You weren't even there, you pussy!"

"Hey, I got shot!" Michael protested.  "You take a bullet to the ribs and tell me how you feel!"

Gavin, completely flustered, just made some noises and scooted himself closer to Geoff.  Michael grinned and pulled the towering stack of waffles closer to him.  it was good to hear everyone laugh again, to see Funhaus put back together.

"So, um," Ray said softly.  "I've got something to announce, I guess.  No better time than now."

"What's up, X-Ray?" Gavin asked from where he was tucked in next to Geoff.

"I don't... I don't know exactly how to say this," Ray started, setting down his coffee and looking down at his empty plate.  "But I've been with Tina for three years and, well, I've been thinking about this for a long time and..."

Silence fell over the table as they waited for Ray to finish.  Gavin set down his fork and Jack swallowed.  Matt sat down at the table and Michael's heart started pounding in his chest.  This didn't sound good - in fact, it sounded fucking awful.  This was the beginning of something that was going to change them forever.  Michael glanced at Gavin - he was staring at Ray with wide and terrified eyes and Michael's mouth went dry.  Ray took a deep breath, his eyes a little moist, and he looked at each of them.

"I'm leaving the Agency."

* * *

Rooster Teeth Agency was brilliant and wonderful and Michael knew it was where he was supposed to be.  After years of foster care and psychiatric help for his anger issues, Michael knew something had to change and what better than to join an agency that blended army with James Bond?

He was a scrappy young teenager just looking for a home and he found a family.  Michael was part of the first group of recruits that the RT Agency trained.  Him, Ray, Ryan, Jack and Gavin.  The five of them came together, nervous and scared, and met Geoff Ramsey.  He taught them how to fight, how to hack and scrap and shoot.  For the first time in his life, Michael belonged somewhere.

More recruits came, more units were formed, and Michael was so proud to be part of the newly formed Achievement Hunter Unit.  They were a team built to work together and quickly become one of the best.  Even when Rwby, Know, How Two, Funhaus, and so many other units were created, Achievement Hunter was the first outside of the original Red and Blue Units and Michael felt proud of that legacy.

The first time Michael hooked up with anyone, it was with Ray.  The two of them had narrowly escaped being kidnapped and, in the heat of the moment, they fell in bed together.  It was a one night stand in a perfect sense of the word, where Michael left in the morning and never looked back on that night.

But the hits kept coming.  Michael ended up fucking Gavin and Jack and Ryan and Geoff in various combinations and, well, Michael never thought about it twice.  It was a way for them to remind each other they were alive, to be together.  No romantic feelings involved.  All units had these moments and habits.  The Rwby girls would go on extravagant vacations every few months, The Know Duo would walk attached hip-to-hip and not talk to anyone else (except occasionally Ryan), and the Funhaus boys - well - they were the exception.  But Achievement Hunter needed knowledge and confirmation with each other and no-strings-attached-sex was the way they did it.

And it worked.

They were the Achievement Hunter Unit and they were fucking fantastic.  The six of them worked together for years, perfecting their skills and training to become the best of the entire Agency.  Their harmony was impeccable and their connection was admirable and Michael couldn't ask for anything better.  He never stopped to think about the future, focused on the  _now_ and that they were together.

* * *

"I've talked to Director Hullum about it," Ray kept going.  "And we agreed that my time here is done.  Tina and I want to start a life together and, well, we can't do that while I'm here.  I've been thinking about it a lot the past few months and I know this is the next step for me."

Michael's heart stopped in his chest and he could see the shock on everyone else's face too.  Geoff sighed and stood up.  He walked up to Ray and put his hands on Ray's thin little shoulders.  Had he always been this scrawny?  Geoff pulled in Ray for a hug.

"Of course, Ray," Geoff sighed.  "I knew this day was fucking coming, ever since you saved Tina, I knew this was going to happen.  Go get your girl and be good, alright?"

"God, okay,  _dad_ ," Ray said, face squashed in Geoff's shoulder.

Gavin hiccuped with tear filled eyes.  His face hardened and he stood up violently - upsetting the table and ignoring Jack's protests.

"You can't go!" Gavin cried out.  "You belong here, with us, X-Ray!"

"I'm sorry, Gav," Ray said, letting Geoff go and taking a step towards Gavin.  "I belong with Tina.  Dude, I love her and this is great, don't get me wrong - but I can't put her in danger like this."

"But what about us?!" Gavin exclaimed.  "What about _me_?  What about the gents and Michael?  Do we mean nothing to you?"

"Fuck, no Gavin!" Ray raised his voice.  "You guys are the best friends ever and I am so fucking glad to have been with you for these past years - but it's time for me to move on.  I've done my time here and it's been fucking top, but now I've got somewhere else to go."

Tears spilled down Gavin's cheeks and Michael felt his famous rage build up inside him.  He was going to miss Ray more than he could even fathom, because it was Ray and they were Team Lads and now what?  But he fucking knew that Ray was going to leave for Tina - he had to.  All agents in love with civilians left at one point or another.  It was only a matter of time.  But seeing Gavin so broken pushed Michael's misery out of the way.

Time stretched on and the Funhaus guys cleared out, Lawrence grabbing the plate of bacon as they left.  God, it seemed like ages ago they were waiting for news about Bruce and now Ray was fucking leaving.  Michael didn't sign up for this roller-coaster of emotions.  Gavin wilted and looked down at his hands.  Ryan reached out but aborted his movement and just sat still with Jack's hand on his shoulder.

"I'm never going to see you again," Gavin finally whispered.  "You know that's what happens to agents who leave."

"Gavin," Ray sighed.  "I'm sorry.  It just... it has to happen."

"Yeah, well, good riddance then," Gavin snapped and stormed out of the room.

Ray's face shattered and he sunk into himself.  Michael, torn between comforting Ray and chasing after Gavin, hesitated a brief second.  He was never as attached as Gavin was in their lad piles - always able to brush it off in the morning.  When Ray cut it off, Michael didn't mind as much but it had fucked up Gavin.  With Ray leaving, Gavin would certainly be hurt and broken and, well, it was never much of a choice.

Michael ran out, leaving the gents with Ray, and chased down Gavin.  He wasn't hard to find - Gavin always escaped to the roof when he was upset.  The morning was cool as the sun continued to rise, casting long shadows over 636.  Gavin was standing at the edge, arms crossed and shoulders shaking.  Michael slowly came up beside him and touched Gavin's shoulder.

"Hey, Gav," Michael said softly.

Gavin turned with watery eyes and allowed Michael to pull him in, nestling himself into Michael's chest.

"I just..." Gavin started.  "We were something, weren't we?  Weren't we good enough?"

"Oh, Gavin," Michael held him closer as tears pricked the corner of his own eyes.  "Of course we were good enough.  You know those nights didn't mean anything, right?  We were just - just friends with benefits."

"I know," Gavin's fingers dug tighter into Michael's back.  "I know, Michael.  It's just hard not to fall a little in love, you know.  After years of that."

"You still have me," Michael said.  "You have Geoff and Jack and Ryan."

"But Ray's gone forever," Gavin said.  "We're never going to see him again.  His records are going to be destroyed.  We can't contact him and he can't contact us.  It'll be like he never existed and... I don't know, Michael.  It feels like he's dying."

Michael didn't have anything to say to that so he only clutched Gavin closer to him as the sun rose over the horizon.  To Gavin, Ray leaving was on the same level as Bruce dying to the Funhaus guys.  Michael really should have known better than to let Gavin get so close to Ray, but he honestly thought Gavin could handle it.  After all - it didn't affect the rest of the unit.

Then again, Gavin always wore his heart on his sleeve, prone to making quick attachments and get emotionally invested in whimsical things.  It probably stemmed from being abandoned as a child and raised by an uncle who didn't care for him.  Whatever the reason, Gavin craved stability and Ray leaving was shattering every solid bit of life that Gavin ever had.

"Promise me you won't leave," Gavin suddenly pulled back, looking Michael in the eyes.  "Promise me, boi.  You can't leave me too."

"Of course not!" Michael reached up and gripped Gavin's face, wiping the tears away with this thumbs.  "You are my boi, Gav.  I would never leave you."

Gavin surged forward and captured Michael's lips in a hot and frenzied kiss.  Michael almost fell backwards from the passion behind it and and allowed himself to sink into Gavin's kiss.  Kissing Gavin was always an experience and Michael felt himself warming underneath it as his hands trailed from Gavin's cheeks into Gavin's hair.  Gavin tugged in Michael closer by the hips until they were pressed together.

Something warm and fond burst in Michael's chest as they kissed and he realized that he didn't want to let him go.  He never wanted to let go of Gavin, of his boi.  He couldn't tell if this was love or not and, he suddenly realized, he didn't fucking care.  This was Gavin, his boi, and Michael was going to be with him forever.

 

As soon as the announcement was made, Ray was packed and leaving in three days.  He waved goodbye to the Agency, gave hugs to everyone, fucking donated his sniper rifle to the recruits, and was ready to go.  Geoff, with teary eyes, gathered all of AH and they went on a final walk with Ray.  They walked around 636, over the training fields and shooting range until they came to a small hill with blanket and picnic basket.

For one last time, the six of the sat down together and had lunch in the bright, Texas sunlight.  Through many tears (from Gavin) and a lot of jokes (from Ryan) they remembered their many years spent together.  The first sniper shot from Ray that saved their lives.  The one time that Ryan accidentally dropped a cow into a hole.  The day that Ray tried to parkour and broke his arm.

Years of history between them and they only had a few hours to share and remember it all.

Ray was scheduled to leave at 3 that afternoon and, regretfully, they had to wrap up their picnic.  The six of them slowly walked to the front of 636 were a car was waiting to take Ray away, bags already in the back.

One by one, Ray hugged each of them, eyes wet and face smiling.  He kissed Gavin's cheek and came up to Michael.  What had just been tears burning at the corners of his eyes turned into a full torrent of tears as he pulled in Ray for a spine crushing hug.  This was one of his best friends, his companion from the East Coast, and he was leaving to live a great life with a beautiful woman.  Michael couldn't be prouder but he was going to miss him like hell.

With a final, teary wave, Ray walked to the car.  Everything went silent, not even birds chirping in the air.  Michael heard the car door slam shut and felt something close in his heart.  He blindly reached out and laced his fingers with Gavin's.

Agent Brownman has left the Agency.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I fucking love Ray and Tina - Twitch Power Couple for the win. Ray leaving the Agency is the same as a lot of other agents; which is wanting a 'normal' life. Especially with Tina being a civilian, Ray can't be with her and also be in the Agency because that just doesn't work.
> 
> So he makes a choice to leave. For his safety and Tina's, all communication and records are destroyed so there's nothing to link him to the Agency. It keeps him safe, even if it's hard for AH (Gavin) to deal with.


	10. The Recruits Part 2 - Graduation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was time. Weeks of training finally paid off. Sean Poole stood beside Jeremy Dooley and together, they walked to the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I switched up my last two chapters to make it a slight more in order. Also, I apologize about my random updating. Life's a mess and I'm just trying to work around it.
> 
> I had a lot more things I wanted to write, but my brain came up with a plot and I want to get to those bits. Villains are coming!

Burnie Burns was the director of the recruits.  Despite that, Spoole hadn't interacted with him much since their first day.  He was always observing, making notes on a clipboard during training exercises and classroom instruction, but never spoke to the recruits that much.  Which, to be honest, was fine by Spoole.  He looked kind of intimidating.  But that made him this much less prepared to see him in person to get his unit assignment.

Jeremy had already gotten his.  He stumbled in, pale faced and shaking, and refused to tell Spoole where he was assigned.

Spoole never really gave much thought to the eventual unit assignment.  He joined to be closer with Funhaus and, now that he was here, he realized that he probably wasn't going to be assigned to their unit.  They were already pushing the limits on how large a unit could be and adding another member would change everything about how their unit operated and the assignments they were given.

Even if Bruce was in the hospital.  Yeah, Spoole knew about that.  It was hard not to notice when Matt Bragg was over all the time.  He and Jeremy tried to be quiet about it, the hushed whispers whenever Spoole walked into a room, but Spoole didn't pass through training for nothing.  He put it together.  Matt's guilt over a failed mission, Bruce mysteriously missing from the rest of Funhaus, said unit being more subdued than normal, the constant side-eyed glances at Spoole.

Sure, it was hard when he first put it together.  After eavesdropping on Matt and Jeremy (which was a horrible idea), Sean had cried for hours.  He didn't know where Bruce was, what was wrong, and he couldn't go up and ask without getting someone in trouble.  He did know one thing, which is that if Bruce died they would tell him.  Spoole held onto that knowledge, clutched to it like a lifeline.  No news was good news in this case.

Spoole just wanted to see Bruce again, to be by his bedside and hold his hand.  Maybe confess.  Spoole shook the thought out of his head.  Nope.  No confessing any time soon.  Funhaus was strong and tough men and Spoole had no business believing he could join in.  Six was more than enough in a relationship and Spoole, who they see as a little brother, had no place among them.

Burns's office was on the first floor, along with a few other administrative offices.  Spoole pushed all his thoughts aside and knocked on the door.  It was time for him to receive his assignment.  The office was clean with a certain level of creative chaos.  His desk was littered with papers and pictures decorated his walls, as well as medals and awards.  He had a window that opened up to the training field and Spoole could see a couple of units running through an exercise.

"Hello, Sean," Burns greeted him enthusiastically, shaking Spoole's hand.  "Come on in, buddy."

"Spoole, please," Spoole clarified, sitting down at the offered chair.  "Sorry, sir.  I just prefer Spoole with strangers."

Burns waved it off and melted into his chair, spinning idly to face Spoole.  "No worries, kiddo.  So, you got all your training out of the way and passed with flying colors.  Agent Jenkins says you're very bright and curious.  The Achievement Hunter Unit told me all about your victory over them - you're a good shot, Spoole.  Good at following orders and quick changes in plans."

"I guess, sir," Spoole shrugged.

"Oh, don't be modest," Burns sat up straight and opened one of the many files on his desk.  "Tell me then, Spoole.  What do you think you excel at?  What can you bring to this Agency?"

Spoole thought for a moment.  He thought back on his past six weeks, on the training and lessons.  He remembered the first gun he shot, the first bulls eye.  He remembered all the training hours with paintball guns.  He remembered the lessons on forensic science and political motivations.  He remembered, vividly, psychiatric profiling.

"I'm a pretty good shot," Spoole eventually said.  "A decent driver.  I think that, most of all, sir, I'm unassuming.  I don't look like a threat, I look like a kid.  And if there's anything I learned from Agent Turney and Agent Shawcross is that unassuming is good.  No one expects a little kid like me in the field and no one would expect me to stab someone.  Right?"

Burns nodded and he looked actually impressed.  "Very nice, Spoole.  That was brought up by Agent Ramsey on a number of occasions.  I actually had to get your fucking birth record before he believed you weren't thirteen.  The man's protective, you know?  Anyway, your assignment.  Have you given much thought to it?"

"Only a little," Spoole admitted.  "I mean, I think everyone here knows that I'm the Funhaus Orphan from L.A. so, you know, that would be nice."

"Funhaus?" Burns repeated.  "You think you can join a six man group without compromising them?"

"Oh, I don't know, sir," Spoole said honestly.  "I know that I trust them and they trust me.  We've been friends for years now and, well, I think that's important in a unit."

"What would you do if you weren't in their unit?" Burns asked.

"I'd be okay, I think," Spoole said.  "I think they'd be more concerned if they couldn't keep tabs on me."

"Well," Burns folded his hands and looked up at Spoole.  "Would you like to know your assignment?"

Spoole nodded.  "Yes, sir."

"Sean Poole, after much discussion and careful consideration, we have assigned you to the Funhaus Unit as their seventh man.  Don't tell anyone, we'll announce it at the ceremony, alright?  Now, I know you know about Bruce, so while he's recuperating and healing, we'll still send you on missions, get some training in for you."

Spoole nodded, excitement filling his veins at the thought of joining Funhuas in the Agency.  It was literally everything he wanted when he joined the Agency.  He was going to be with his boys, work with them and live with them and help them.  There was nothing else he could ask for.  Burns handed him a new ID card with his unit printed neatly underneath his name.  Agent Poole of Funhaus Unit.

"Can I tell Jeremy?" Spoole asked.  "He's my best friend, sir, and I don't want to keep this from him."

"Of course, of course," Burns agreed quickly with a fond smile.  "No secrets between friends.  I'm sure he's just as eager to tell you his assignment.  Graduation is next week and I look forward to seeing you there."

Spoole stood up and shook Burns's hand.  He was going to be a full fledged Agent for Funhaus and he couldn't ask for anything else.  He left the office feeling lighter than air and so damn successful he could hardly contain it.

As soon as he stepped outside the door, he sprinted to the stairs and ran up to the second floor.  He couldn't wait to tell Jeremy.

Jeremy, god, Spoole was so happy to be his roommate.  They had clicked pretty much instantly and his life here would have been so lackluster without Jeremy's strong and powerful presence beside him.  Spoole burst through his dorm room.

"I'm in Funhaus!" Spoole cried out as soon as the door slammed shut behind him.

Two heads poked out from behind the bed.  Matt and Jeremy, with flushed faces and ruffled hair, looked up at him embarrassingly.

"Hey, Spoole," Jeremy stood up slowly, bare-chested and wearing only shorts.  "We didn't think you'd be here so soon."

"Clearly," Spoole managed as Matt dragged a sheet off the bed before standing up with it wrapped around his waist.

"Heh, sorry," Matt said, rubbing his neck awkwardly.  "Um, so you're in Funhaus?"

"Yeah!" Spoole instantly brightened back up, determinedly ignoring that his best friend was in the middle of getting laid.  He turned to Jeremy instead.  "Anyway, Burns said you could tell me what unit you got assigned to.  I mean, if you wanted to."

"Oh, yeah of course," Jeremy vaulted over the bed and pulled out his card, holding it out for Spoole with bright eyes.  "Dude, I'm so fucking excited for it."

"Agent Dooley of the Achievement Hunter Unit," Spoole read off.  "Oh my god!  You're in Achievement Hunter and I'm in Funhaus!  That means - "

"We get to work together!" Jeremy finished, his face breaking out into a brighter smile.

Spoole hated to admit it, but a fucking squeal worthy of a prepubescent girl escaped him and he didn't hesitate to pull in Jeremy for a huge hug.  In all his wildest dreams he could never imagine his life ending up this perfectly.

"That means I'm in charge of both of you!" Matt said, stepping around the bed and dragging the sheet behind him.  "Kdin and I are your B-Team!"

Matt raised his arms for a hug, the sheet fell, and Spoole screamed "No, no, no!" and ran out.  Best friend or not, Spoole did not need to see Matt's junk ever.  Ever.

 

Spoole never went to a graduation before.  He was orphaned as a teenager, never got to graduate from high school.  He'd heard stories from Funhaus though.  Bruce and James had been friends forever, even though they were three years apart, and went to each others graduations.  Lawrence, the brilliant bitch he was, graduated from college young.

Even Jeremy graduated from high school, but not Spoole.  He knew nothing about what to expect from this.

The recruits were sitting in the front two rows and Spoole was fucking terrified.  He was scared shitless and didn't even have his hat.

"Stop freaking out," Jeremy whispered.  "Someone is gonna give a speech, they'll call our names and we'll walk up and that'll be that.  Then you can go visit Bruce and everything is going to be okay."

Sean nodded and took a deep breath.

The auditorium was filled with the agents of 636, almost all of them come out for the graduation of the recruits.  A stage was set up, podium and chairs set out.  Director Matt Hullum was sitting in his chair with Burnie Burns beside him and Gus Sorola on the other.

The lights dimmed and Sean felt his heart stop.

Director Hullum stepped forward to the podium and everyone applauded.

"Hello, Agents, and welcome to the new recruit graduation," he greeted them.  "I have been in this Agency since we started it over ten years ago and I've never met a group of agents as well prepared as this group right here.  They have trained hard, pushed their limits, and are more than prepared for life in the field.  I could go on, but I'm sure we'll all see, soon enough, exactly how brilliant these men and women are."

Sean panicked and felt his palms start sweating.  Here it was.

"And so, without further ado, Burnie Burns will present to you, our new Agents."

The recruits all stood up and walked to the podium in a line, Spoole following Jeremy with his heart in his throat.  One by one, their names were called, applause at the end of each name.

Anticipation was building in him and Spoole started shaking a bit.  Jeremy turned to flash a cocky grin as his name was called.

"Agent Jeremy Dooley of the Achievement Hunter Unit."

In one corner, the five Achievement Hunters perked up and eyed Jeremy as he stepped down from the stage.  Sitting beside them were Funhaus, James recording it for Bruce, and the Rwby girls.  The three units had reconciled and Rwby was considered a close friend to those two units.  Spoole didn't think that would ever happen, but there was Lindsay, nudging Gavin as he stared at Jeremy.

It was three days ago when Funhaus had finally cornered Sean and confessed where Bruce was.  The six of them had looked so somber as they explained what had happened to Bruce in Iran, as they told him about the hospital visit and the coma then how he woke up, but they were too scared to tell him.

After this, after the graduation, they were going to visit Bruce and Sean was going to see him for the first time in weeks.  Lawrence gave a thumbs up and Sean smiled softly back.

"Agent Sean Poole of the Funhaus Unit."

Spoole doesn't remember walking up the podium.  He doesn't remember shaking hands with Burns, Hullum, or Sorola.  He barely remembers walking down and taking his seat again.

All he could see were the faces of Funhaus.  The surprise and excitement on their faces as they jumped up, screaming and cheering.  Joel looked like he was going to cry and Matt Peake had only given a solemn nod.

The rest of the graduation was a blur and as soon as Hullum dismissed them, Spoole was wrapped up in the arms of Funhaus.  He could see Matt Bragg introducing Jeremy to the Achievement Hunters, a protective arm around Jeremy's shoulders.

"You did it, Spoole!" Adam cheered, grabbing Sean's cheeks and looking adoringly at him.  "God, we're so proud of you."

"Thanks," Sean smiled and stared at Adam's warm, warm eyes.

"And you're with us!" James flung an arm around Spoole's shoulders.  "This is perfect!  Oh, wait until we tell Bruce!"

As one, they all started walking away, talking about Bruce's healing process and what they could bring for a hospital celebration.  They took bets on how Bruce would react to Sean being in their unit.  Sean made to follow but Matt Peake had grabbed his arm.

"Hey," he said, holding onto Spoole and locking their eyes.  "Congratulations, kid."

"Thanks," Sean said.  "I'm so glad you found me in California."

Matt's eyes sparkled and his grip on Sean's elbows got a little tighter.  "Yeah.  Me too, Sean."

And he was being pulled into a tight, slightly teary hug.  Sean buried his face into Matt's shoulder and hugged him just as tight.  In one of those rare moments, he thought back to his life on the streets and how different things would be if Funhaus didn't find him.  In L.A., Spoole was just another statistic of homeless teenagers.  But here, here Spoole was an agent for one of the top Agency's in the nation working alongside some of the strongest, most courageous men in the world.

Spoole graduated.  He had become someone in his life and it was all because Matt Peake decided to take him in.  So Sean hugged the life out of Matt, hoping some of that gratitude came across.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also switch from Spoole to Sean in my writing depending on the intensity of the situation, if that makes sense.
> 
> Like he tends to 'become' Sean when it's with Funhaus or when it's serious or dangerous. Idk if that makes any damn sense.


	11. The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce comes home.

James stood beside Bruce's bedside, anticipation rising in his gut.  The nurse was checking over his vitals again, a small smile on her face.  Spoole was right beside him, a nervous ball of energy.  Today was the day that Bruce was coming home.  They were all holding their breaths, waiting for the go-ahead from the nurse.

"Well, Agent Greene," she set down the clipboard.  "You are free to go.  We'll have a physical therapist come visit you next week.  Don't strain yourself too much, okay?  I'm sure these boys will take care of you.  I'm going to grab the doctor and we'll get you home."

The nurse left and James let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto Bruce, kissing him slowly.  It had been so long, so many long weeks of tests and x-rays and surgeries.  Spoole had gone on three missions since his graduation (doing fantastic of course) and James was tired of the empty spot in their bed where Bruce used to be.  Of the six, Bruce and James had been together the longest, been friends since childhood and lovers since high school, and James just wanted Bruce back home.

"You ready?" James asked Bruce softly.

"Am I ready?" Bruce repeated.  "Shit, James, I've been ready since Spoole fucking graduated!  Take me home, baby."

"Oh, I will," James winked.

"Hey, no flirting in front of the child!" Joel shouted and James turned to see Lawrence with his hands over Spoole's eyes.  "You'll corrupt him!"

"Please," Adam rolled his eyes from where he was sending a message to Achievement Hunter.  "Spoole was rooming with Jeremy, I bet he and Matt already corrupted him."

At that, Spoole's face flushed beet red and he muttered something about loose sheets and  _it wasn't his fault_  and Lawrence tucked him into his arms with a laugh, cradling Spoole in close.  Something warm flashed through James at the sight and suddenly, he wanted to kiss Spoole like there was no tomorrow.  It was so sudden and so hot in him that James had taken a step towards Spoole with his hands raised to cradle that beautiful face before he realized what he was doing.

But James was the master of improvising and he just grabbed Spoole's face, very seriously, and looked him in the eye, ignoring the warmth spreading through him at having Spoole's wide eyes locked on with his.

"You tell me what happened, Spoole," James said.  "I swear, I'll kick their asses so hard they won't be able to shit for a week.  No one corrupts our little Spoole."

Spoole's bright eyes dimmed a little (or was James imagining that?) and he let out an awkward little laugh.

"It was nothing, James," Spoole said.  "I promise."

Slowly, James let go of Spoole and forced himself into a casual conversation with Peake about what to do when they got Bruce home.  He definitely didn't think about Spoole's pink mouth or soft cheeks.

Within minutes, they gathered Bruce up in a wheelchair and were out of the hospital.  Joel was saddled with dozens of papers detailing what Bruce was allowed to do and what he wasn't, along with a couple of physical therapy things for his body while his left side remained in casts.  Bruce looked stupidly excited considering he was half broken.

The entire Agency was waiting outside for Bruce to come home.  Banners were strewn across the building and James grinned as they pulled up.

"All this for me?" Bruce looked up at James with bright eyes.

"You betcha," James winked.  "All for you, baby."

They stepped out and were greeted instantly by Achievement Hunter, all of them running up and grabbing onto Bruce - at least Michael and Gavin did, the gents were a little more conservative but still welcomed Bruce back with open arms.  It felt so good for them to be together again.

Everyone took their time to come greet Bruce, to welcome him back home and it felt so fucking good to be back with Bruce.  James grabbed Bruce's wheelchair and they walked into the Agency.

 

Matt Hullum sighed at the proceedings.  He was so damn proud of these boys, proud of Funhaus and Bruce's fantastic recovery.  He was proud of the recruits and their success in the field.  Jeremy had joined AH spectacularly and Matt was so proud of them.

He picked up the letter on his desk.  The paper was crisp and the folds soft and Matt almost had it memorized at this point.

_Dear Director,_

_I'm certain you remember me, after all, I was one of the best.  It's only fair for me to warn you of my coming.  Too long you have gone unchallenged.  Too long, my dear Director, you believed to be the best Agency in the world._

_Well no longer, Director.  I am one of the few who knows of your Agency, the fraternizing and the lack of your professionalism.  How you managed to trick the world into believing your agents are the best is beyond me.  
_

_Send my regards to your agents.  I look forward to meeting them._

_-Edgar_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter but I really wanted to introduce Edgar into the story.


	12. The Flirting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For not the first time, Spoole was so grateful that Jeremy was his best friend.
> 
> Especially considering his ultimate conundrum with Funhaus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live!!
> 
> Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving (if you celebrate) and I've had a great time with my family and not working or having school - which is fantastic.
> 
> I am actually really excited to get into the actual plot/meat of this fic - because shit is about to go down.

"Well done, Spooleo!" Joel cheered, grabbing onto Spoole as they flew out of Egypt.  "You did fantastic!"

Spoole grinned and looked around at the rest of the unit.  James was cuddled up next to Adam.  Matt and Lawrence were back with Bruce at 636 but this was a simple mission, easy enough for three agents and little Spoole (Adam's words).  For not the first time, Spoole looked at the easy affection between James and Adam with something like envy.

He wanted it, more than anything else, he wanted in.  He wanted to sleep in their massive bed curled up in the middle.  He wanted to have that easy affection and camaraderie and just fucking  _be there_ with them.

Not that Spoole could do anything about it because, after all, they were a unit and the six of them were in a relationship already and adding Spoole wasn't going to help with anything and, well, why ruin a good thing?

"When we get back," Joel whispered into Spoole's ear, hot breath tickling the sensitive skin there.  "We are celebrating you."

"Again?" Spoole turned and gasped at how close Joel was to him, noses almost brushing.  "Isn't there anything else to do?  We keep this celebrating and I'm gonna feel like a celebrity!"

Joel shrugged and leaned a little forward, brushing their noses together and Spoole felt his face blush.  Joel spoke and his breath was warm against Spoole's lips.  "Of course, darling.  But you are our new member, our little Spooleo, and we love you.  Let us celebrate these little victories."

For a second, Spoole thought that Joel was going to kiss him.  His eyes were blue and bright and he tipped his head gently to the side, glancing down at Spoole's lips.  And, oh god, Spoole wanted it so fucking bad.  He wanted to kiss his beautiful man in front of him.

Then Joel pulled himself to the side and tucked his face into Spoole's neck.

 

And the hits kept on coming.

Spoole thought he was imagining things at first because, honestly, they had always been this close to each other.  Ever since Matt Peake found him in L.A., they'd been as close as family.  A weird, gay orgy family, but a family nonetheless.

So it wasn't strange for Joel to stare at his mouth.  It was normal for Lawrence to tuck Spoole under his arm as they talked, close and intimate.  James and Bruce would take Spoole down to the training room and help him train (Bruce mostly yelled from his wheelchair though).  Adam would take him out to dinner and Matt was just always there.

Spoole thought nothing of it for a while - just intimate moments between close friends.  Then Adam dropped a wink after dinner and Spoole's entire body went hot.  Then James was standing behind him during weapons training, hot and firm behind Spoole with broad hands on his waist.

Matt would linger after their hugs, fingers trailing down Spoole's arms and leaving goosebumps in their wake.  Lawrence would drop kisses to Spoole's head when the separated.

The only natural conclusion, then, was for Spoole to call up his best friend and cry about it.

"I'm serious, Jeremy," Spoole collapsed onto the grass in the field of 636.  "I just... are they flirting with me?"

"Sure sounds like it," Jeremy shrugged, sitting down beside Spoole.  "Isn't this what you wanted?  Be part of it?"

"I regret telling you that," Spoole said.  "But yeah, that's what I want.  I just - what if this isn't what they want?  What if they aren't actually flirting and we're just friends?  I can't tell!"

"Okay," Jeremy nodded.  "I met Matt years ago.  We grew up together.  He's from South Carolina, but lived with his aunt in Boston during the school year.  Well, we became friends about instantly and knew we were going to be friends pretty much forever."

Jeremy leaned backwards on his elbows, his face growing soft and warm.  "Then high school happened and, god, I don't even know.  He was just so handsome and charming and funny.  I don't even know if we flirted before or if we just fell into it, but suddenly we were together and I was so in love, so fucking happy."

"Okay, yeah," Spoole rolled his eyes.  "You two are so damn cute, got it.  Everyone's got it.  Jerematt is the hot topic in all of 636 as cutest goddamn couple but this doesn't help  _me_ with my boys!"

Jeremy laughed.  "Dude, just follow your heart, okay?  They're in a 6 way fuck-fest, adding you would be easy.  Besides that, I'm in Achievement Hunter and they gossip like old women and they talk about Funhaus almost all the time."

"Okay... and...?"

"And there's a bet on when you join them," Jeremy shrugged.  "You can't tell and I know better because I'm your best friend, but everyone already thinks you're part of them."

"Oh," Spoole sighed.  "Then, I should it, right?  Just go for it?"

"Godspeed, Sean Poole," Jeremy nodded seriously.  "Go get your boys."

 

It was the worst coming back to the little apartment and seeing Bruce on the sofa, arm and leg propped up and face pinched in pain.  While his ribs were healed up nicely, it still hurt to breathe and sometimes he woke up thinking he was still in the explosion.

Even though Funhaus was whole and together, they were still healing.  Spoole smiled softly as Bruce attempted to play a game one handed.  He trotted to him and curled up next to Bruce.

"Hi," he said, watching as Bruce's character died on screen.

"Hey, Spoole," Bruce grinned.  "What's up?"

"Um..." Spoole bit his lip.  "I kinda have something I want to ask you, or show you, or both, I guess."

Bruce set down his controller and looked at Spoole seriously.  "You can tell me anything, Spoole.  What's up?"

Spoole looked up at Bruce's brown eyes, soft and tender and so sweet that Spoole didn't even feel slightly nervous as he leaned up to press a kiss to Bruce's mouth.

"I've kinda had the biggest, dumbest crush on you guys since I met you," Spoole whispered.  "And if you weren't flirting with me then I'm sorry but I thought you were and -"

Bruce laughed and tipped Spoole's face up to kiss him again, soft and warm and Spoole literally melted into it.

"We wondered if we were too subtle," Bruce said.  "But Peake insisted.

Spoole laughed.  "I bet."

"He'll be jealous I got the first kiss."

"You're injured!  You get to be first."

 

In the end, Spoole slipped right into their bed, happy and warm where he belonged.  Geoff was out twenty bucks and, as far as things go, Spoole couldn't be happier.


	13. The Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The thing about power, about being at the top, is that immortality became a common nuance. It became easy to believe one was untouchable, that one was safe and protected from everything.
> 
> But these things come to an end eventually and no one stays at the top for long. Not even the illustrious B-Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had the idea for this chapter long time ago.
> 
> Can't guarantee when I'll be back? It's finals week soon and I've got work and such so, you know, that happens.

Steffie hummed and clicked through the files again.  It wasn't often that there was a discrepancy in their files but here it was and it fucking _bothered_ her.  All agents who left the Agency had their files destroyed.  There would be no record to tie them back to the Agency - nothing that compromised former agents as they started their new civilian lives.

B-Team oversaw each and every one of these deletions and something about this one was different.  There was never a trace of the files they deleted, never a hint of these newly released agents.

Except for one Agent Ray Narvaez Jr.

Steffie had personally taken care of Ray's files.  She had erased and deleted every single trace of him from their database.  She knew the ins and outs of their code and program and something about this was wrong.

"Hey," Steffie turned, catching Mariel.  "Can you check this for me?  Something feels... off."

Mariel knelt down beside Steffie and glanced over the files.  Her eyes narrowed as she scrolled over the code.

"That's... that's not normal," Mariel said.  "Have you had Patrick look over it?"

"The big Agent Salazar?" Steffie sighed and rolled back in her seat.  "I don't want to worry him - it's not that important.  Probably some new code that Cole wrote and didn't bother to tell me."

"Are you sure?" Mariel asked.  "This is important, Steff.  This is life and death, you know."

"I'll cross-check the other former agents," Steffie said.  "I don't think it's anything."

* * *

Jeremy was laughing as James and Bruce tag-taught Spoole.  Spoole was a fucking great shot and watching Bruce bark orders while leaning on crutches and his arm in a sling was fucking hilarious.

"C'mon, Spoole!" Bruce shouted, his voice cracking.

"Shut up, Bruce!" James snapped.  "Spoole has  _got it_.  So shut up!"

Spoole was flushed to the tips of his ears as he shot the targets.  Certainly, not as flawless as more experienced agents, but not bad for a tiny nineteen year-old kid.

"Boys, boys, you're both pretty," Jeremy rolled his eyes.  "And Spoole loves you both equally."

James and Bruce gave Jeremy the most lackluster glare possible and Jeremy laughed.  "Though not as much as he loves Peake."

"Well, you know all about loving Matts, huh?" Bruce snapped.

Jeremy shrugged.  Bruce had a point.  Spoole pushed the button to bring his target paper forward and suddenly alarms started blaring, red lights flashing in the gun range.  Jeremy spared a look for Spoole who only shrugged.

"That's not good," James said slowly.

The elevator doors that led to The Cave opened and a dozen people came spilling out, coughing and ashy.  Jeremy didn't hesitate to run up to them.

"What's happening?" Jeremy asked, grabbing onto Caleb.  "What's going on?"

"Fire," Caleb coughed, tears running down his face.  "There's a fire.  Every - everyone is coming up the stairs."

"Matt," Jeremy said, heart pounding in his throat.  "Where's Matt?  Did you see him?"

Caleb shook his head and sat down, taking deep, raspy breaths.  Spoole came up next to him, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Bruce and James went up for help," he said.  "We need to help them get upstairs to the medical wing."

Jeremy nodded numbly.  Spoole lifted up Caleb and led him to the elevator that went upstairs.  Jeremy did the same, gathered up the many members of B-Team that came up the stairs and helped them to the other elevator.  Each agent was more damaged than the last - covered in ash and coughing violently with red eyes.

Still no sign of Matt.  Patrick, Gus, Kdin, Steffie, Trevor, so many B-Team agents came flying out and Jeremy just held onto the mantra "he's next, he's next, he's coming."

More agents came downstairs with water and oxygen masks, leading them upstairs to the medical wing.  Jeremy stared at the stairwell, waiting for the next group of agents to come out.

"Everyone upstairs!" Agent Heyman shouted.  "The Cave is compromised and will be sealed off!"

"No!" Jeremy stood up, suddenly filled with adrenaline.  "No, Heyman, please!"

"No arguments, Agent Dooley.  Upstairs."

"Matt's down there," Jeremy said, eyes pleading.  "I just - let me go find him.  Please.  Ten minutes."

"You are an Agent of 636," Heyman said, looking Jeremy in the eye.  "You have been trained to follow orders and you will not be compromised because of Agent Bragg."

"Ellis wouldn't think so," Jeremy snapped.  A low blow, to be sure, using Joel's partner as incentive.  "Matt was your B-Team before Trevor.  Are you really going to let him die down there?"

Joel Heyman hesitated.  He bit his lip and sighed.

"Five minutes.  If you aren't up here, then we'll seal you off with him."

"Fair enough," Jeremy nodded and sprinted to the stairwell.

The Cave had one elevator and one stairwell that connected it to the rest of the base.  Jeremy sprinted down the stairs and flung open the door.  Instantly, heat washed over him and the smoke stung his eyes.  He ran down the hallway and burst into the Cave.

Everything was on fire.  The giant supercomputer was melting on the wall and the smell burning plastic was thick in Jeremy's throat.  There were burnt bodies on the ground, unmoving and charred and Jeremy's heart stopped.

He checked each one of them.  All dead.  None of them Matt.

"Matt!" Jeremy shouted, throat raw.  He coughed and tears slipped down his cheeks, drying instantly in the heat.  "Matt!  Babe, where are you?"

For being one giant room, it was fucking hard to find Matt.  Bookshelves had fallen, desks and chairs were scattered across the floor and knocked over.  Everything was so  _fucking hot_ and Jeremy couldn't catch his breath.

"C'mon, babe," Jeremy dragged himself to the side room.  "I can't live without - without you."

He couldn't see from the black smoke that was everywhere.  It stung his eyes and he couldn't breath and the smell of burning fucking plastic was choking him.  He pushed a mattress over and found Matt's glasses, cracked on the ground and too hot to touch.

"I love you so fucking much," Jeremy rubbed at his eyes.  "I can't lose you like this!"

Something moved to the left - a hand or arm or something but Jeremy turned instantly, pushing aside the debris that covered the body.  Even covered in ash and slightly singed, Jeremy would recognize Matt anywhere.

"Jeremy?" he whispered.  "I can't breathe.  My head - my throat - "

"Shush, shush, we gotta go," Jeremy said, even as his head spun.  "Can you walk?"

"Yeah, yeah," Matt stood up with Jeremy, leaning against each other.  "The others...?"

"Most of them got out," Jeremy said.  "Do you... do you know how it happened?"

"I can't remember," Matt coughed.  "I can't - I can't -"

Jeremy shushed him again and they kept walking.  The door never felt so fucking far away and the fire was so hot, so hot and so close that Jeremy felt the hair on his body singe as they walked.

Stumbling, coughing, head spinning, and world reeling, they stumbled down the hallway.  The elevator was out of commission and they had to climb up the stairs.  It was so hard to breathe and they collapsed on the stairs.

"C'mon, babe," Jeremy wheezed, dragging Matt up the stairs.  His eyes were closed even though he was still breathing - though weakly.  "Don't do this to me.  We're almost there - almost there."

It could have been Mount Everest for how fast they were climbing the stairs.  The smoke rose with them and the fire was spreading down the hallway fast.  Dimly, Jeremy wondered about sprinklers but Matt's breath was so shallow that Jeremy was panicking.

"You better marry me after this, you fucker," Jeremy heaved Matt up a couple more steps.  "Making me drag you up these steps when I can't even breathe.  Fucking, good thing I love you so much."

They made it to the top, the door a sudden, impenetrable barrier between them and safety.  Weakly, Jeremy banged on the door with his shoulder, trying to open it.  The world was spinning and he wasn't breathing anymore, just coughing and coughing with blurry eyes.  Matt was limp beside him and Jeremy rammed the door again.

The fire was getting closer and Jeremy knew that it wouldn't get past this door but they had to get past the door.  He didn't know how long he'd been down in the Cave, but it had to be past five minutes.

"Please," Jeremy whispered against the door.  "Please open the damn door."

Jeremy fell against in and cradled Matt to his chest.  Fucking, if this was how it was going to end, then he was going to go out with the love of his life.  He dropped a kiss to Matt's head and let his eyes slip shut.

 

He opened his eyes in the medical wing.  A mask was on his face and it hurt to breathe.  Jeremy turned to the side, his eyes watering, and saw Matt laying next to him.  His face was so pale and his breathing was hoarse at best.

"Oh, thank fucking Christ you're alive," Jeremy whispered though his throat was on fire.

"You know, we're pretty glad you're alive too."

Jeremy turned his head to see the rest of his unit starting at him.  Gavin looked on the edge of tears and he was holding onto Michael tightly, Ryan sitting behind them.  Jack was dabbing his eyes and Geoff looked like he hadn't slept in ages.

"Hi," Jeremy grinned.

"Missed you, Lil J," Michael said.  "I hope you know that Joel Heyman about had a bitch fit when he found you unconscious against the door.  Because, dude, you almost died."

Jeremy looked over at Matt, asleep and breathing softly.

"I had to," Jeremy sighed.

Geoff sat down next to Jeremy, reaching out to Jeremy.  "Listen, Lil J, I'm not going to pretend to understand what exactly is between you and Matt.  Us, we're not exactly romantics, I'm sure you know, so I can't understand putting your life on the line, risking everything for someone else.  But hey, we support you in whatever.  Just, Jesus Christ, don't be an idiot about it."

"I know," Jeremy said.  "Thanks, Geoff."

It took hours before Matt woke up, slow and lethargic.  Jeremy stared at him all those long hours, waiting for him to wake up.  It was with a slow blink, a deep, shuddering and raspy breath, and Matt was awake.

"Morning, love," Jeremy smiled.

Matt smiled back and Jeremy's heart soared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm adding in a lot of tech crew in this chapter as B-Team because, well, they're all B-Team. I don't know what the stance is for everyone and fanfiction (but I am more than willing to comply to anything they wish).
> 
> So we have Mariel and Patrick added to the team. :)


	14. The Announcement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Director Matt Hullum knew this day would come. Years of training recruits would come to fruition these next few weeks. This would test and try his Agents like nothing ever would.

"We don't have to tell them," Burnie said, sitting down at Matt's desk.  "Edgar can't possibly have a plan that soon."

"I owe it to them," Matt said, rubbing his forehead.  "When Edgar decides to come, he'll come hard.  We have to be prepared.  Edgar used to be one of us, he knows our moves, our motives and our secrets.  He fucking burned down The Cave.  He killed our own.  That was nothing short of a declaration of war."  Matt looked over at Burnie, his friend and original founder of The Agency.  "You know what we stand for, what we train our recruits for.  They spend every day out in the world, fighting and dying to protect the world.  This is no different.  This is what we've trained them for."

Burnie nodded slowly and Matt felt some tension leave his shoulders.  With Burnie by his side, along with Geoff, Joel, and Gus, they could stand against Edgar.

"Besides, you've seen our agents," Matt gave a grim smile.  "If anyone can fight Edgar, it's gonna be them."

"Yeah, I know," Burnie said, matching Matt's smile.  "You wanna full assembly for it then?"

"Yes," Matt nodded.  "Tomorrow."

* * *

Jeremy never thought he'd be so happy to come home to the rest of the Achievement Hunters.  His Unit had become family so quickly it surprised even him.  He knew about his Unit's tendency for comforting fucks but he was a loyal son of a bitch and none of the Achievement Hunters even thought about questioning it.

Speaking of loyalty, Matt was out of the hospital but on semi-bed rest in the medical wing.  After spending weeks in the hospital together, going through treatment and being on oxygen together, it felt surreal to be home.

He opened the door and was promptly greeted with noise.

Michael and Gavin were wrestling on the floor but Ryan was hovering over them both, hands out to tear them apart.  Jack was laughing at the sight and sharing a bottle of liquor with Geoff.  Just normal chaos and it felt like home.

"Li'l J!" Michael crowed, climbing out of Gavin and leaping onto Jeremy.  "We missed you, boy!"

Jeremy heaved his oxygen tank into the room and gave a breathless laugh.  "Good to be home, lads."

* * *

Spoole woke up in the middle of the night, gasping for breath and heart pounding in his chest.  The dream was fading fast but the terror was just beginning to sink into him.  His eyes quickly glanced over the room as he tried to loosen his fists from where they were clenched into the blankets.

He was squashed in the middle of a huge bed, the rest of Funhaus sprawled around him.  Joel was on one end, carefully spooned by Lawrence with Adam spread eagle next to him.  On the other side was Matt, carefully tucked underneath of James and snoring softly.  Bruce was gone.

Taking several deep breaths, reminding himself of where he was, Spoole climbed out of the bed.  He couldn't remember the nightmare he had, not even flashes.  All he remembered was pure, unadulterated terror.  Grabbing his glasses, Spoole crept out into the little kitchen.

There was Bruce, sitting at the table with a full glass of water in front of him.  His leg was resting on a chair, knee brace beside him.  He snapped up to Spoole, eyes narrowed and shoulders tense.

"Oh, hey Spoole," Bruce said, shoulders relaxing.  "Nightmare?"

Spoole nodded and sat down beside Bruce who immediately put his arm around Spoole.

"Used to have them all the time," Bruce said.  "All of us did.  Comes with the work.  You know, James had the worst of them.  He's always been the strongest, always felt like he failed us when shit hit the fan.  I mean, sure, all of us carry the weight of failures, but James just... he couldn't handle it as well."

"How do you handle it?" Spoole asked, voice rough with sleep and nerves still singing.

Bruce let out a long, heavy sigh.  "There used to be drinking, then fucking, then drunk fucking.  Then there was fighting - a lot of that.  Fucking almost tore us apart.  And then we just made it work.  Seven stages of grief and that shit."

"It's just... training didn't help with all this," Spoole waved a hand around.  "Being out there, watching you guys get shot at."

"Never gets easier," Bruce said.  "We just learn to deal with it better."

Spoole yawned then and rested his head on Bruce's shoulder.  Bruce tightened his grip on Spoole's shoulders and they sat out there for the rest of the night.

* * *

Assemblies were the absolute worse, if Lindsay was honest.  Director Hullum only gathered the Agents if some serious shit was happening.  The last time she remembered is after September 11th.  She bit her nails and tapped her foot beside her Unit as Director Hullum stood in front of the assembled agents.

"I hate these," Arryn growled beside her.  "Shit is gonna hit the fucking fan."

"Doesn't it always?" Barb said.

Hullum took a deep breath in front of the assembled agents and all chatter stopped.

"My dear agents," he started.  "It's with a deep and heavy heart that I bring this to you.  Years ago, there was an agent by the name of Edgar.  He was strong and brilliant, once of the best this agency has ever seen.  However, he didn't agree with our teachings and left the Agency, vowing to destroy us."

Hullum took a deep breath and Lindsay felt her stomach drop.  She knew where this was going.

"Edgar has returned with a vengeance.  His attack of B-Team was the first and I have no doubts he hopes to return again to take out the rest of us.  Agents, we have trained you for this.  We can defeat Edgar, we can do this.  It won't be easy, but I know we can do it.  Agents, Edgar has declared war and we answer likewise.  We will fight Edgar, we will avenge our dead."

"Fucking told you," Arryn hissed.

Lindsay slumped into her seat and closed her eyes.  If Edgar was actually after them, then god help them all.

"With this knowledge," Hullum continued.  "We've decided to create new units in our Agency from agents across already existing units.  We hope that this will confuse Edgar, at the very least, keep him off our trail.  The list of new Units is as follows: Free Play Unit- Agents Turney and Haywood.  Podcast Unit- Agents Free, Sorola, Gibson, and Dunklemen.  Sportball Unit- Agents Heyman, Coe, Gallian, and Pattillo.  Lazer Unit- Agents Burns, Free, Jones, and Special Agent Dunn.  Patch Unit- Agents Haywood, Sorola, Jenkins, and Turney.  Finally, On the Spot Unit, headed by Agent Risinger and filled with whomever we can spare.

"Agents, we've had our feuds before, petty and silly things between units.  I sincerely hope we can put all that behind us.  We must be unified against Edgar.  We are one team.  We are the Rooster Teeth Agency, first and foremost, and we are family.  I trust that each of you will do whatever it takes to keep us safe.  Dismissed."

Lindsay, Kara, and Arryn all turned to Barbara, who was bright red and fidgeting in her seat.

"I was going to tell you," she said.  "But Gus asked me to join the Podcast Unit and told me it was a secret and, I couldn't say no, could I?"

"You know he picked the best," Kara said softly.  "Hullum picked agents who could move from unit to unit.  Haywood's been friends with The Know girls forever.  Free is Burns's favorite, he can bounce around too."

"It's just so weird," Lindsay said.  "We've just been us for so long, now we're not."

"We're just one agency now," Arryn said.  "Not fragmented units working under one roof.  I just hope it's enough to keep us alive."

* * *

Matt wasn't allowed into the assembly.  Instead he got to stay in the medical wing by himself, hooked up to an oxygen mask and IV.  Honestly, it was getting exhausting.  He could breathe just fine on his own as long as he didn't move too quickly, he should be totally free to go to the actual assembly hall and not have to watch Director Hullum basically give the do or die speech from his bed.

It was a fucking indignity, is what it was.  Matt was one of the best that B-Team had to offer and he couldn't even be there with the rest of his people.  But no, he couldn't sit between Steffie and Kdin and watch Mariel turn white when Tyler was assigned to an active unit.  He didn't get to watch all the teasing as Ryan was assigned two new units with Meg in both.

That didn't even begin to cover the fucking elephant in the room - Edgar.  Matt remembered Edgar, the cunning and sly man who made it to the top ranks of the Agency in no time flat.  He was a natural at corporate espionage and public assassinations.  And he was also a power hunger bastard.  He was the reason B-Team pulled out all the stops to erase every scrap of data on retired agents.  Nothing hurt business like being associated with one of the most notorious criminals across the globe.

And now he was back.  If Edgar was back, then he'd be bringing back his old unit together.  Corpirate.  Mr. Diddles.  Ursa Major and Minor.  Pongo.  God, Matt shuddered to think about it.  It would be a literal bloodbath.

The door to his room creaked open and Jeremy stepped inside.  Matt couldn't stop the smile and he reached out without thinking.  Jeremy smiled back and sat down beside Matt's bed, clasping their hands together.

"Missed you at the assembly," Jeremy said, leaning over and pressing a kiss to Matt's cheek.

"You know how nurses are," Matt rolled his eyes.  "Bed rest and no movement and for god's sake Matt keep your mask on."

Jeremy chuckled and Matt grinned.

"You heard the announcement though, right?" Jeremy asked.  "About Edgar?"

"Yeah," Matt said.  "I remember him too.  I was hired right about when he was kicked out."

"Geoff's told stories," Jeremy said.  "Are you scared?"

"Yeah," Matt said with completely honesty.  "Edgar is fucking brutal.  I don't... I don't want you to get hurt."

Jeremy leaned over and kissed Matt's head.  "I know, sweetheart.  How do you think I felt when I had to drag you out of The Cave unconscious?  I thought - fuck - I thought you were dead, but I didn't know.  But I did learn something."

Jeremy reached into his pocket, pulling out a small box and opening it for Matt.  Inside, nestled on a velvet pillow, was a dark tungsten ring lined with tiny diamonds.  It was, unmistakably, an engagement ring.

"You meant it?" Matt said softly.  "You said that when we were climbing out of The Cave, didn't you?  That you'd marry me because you dragged me out?"

Jeremy blushed and nodded.  "Yeah, I did say that.  And, yeah, I meant it.  Matt Bragg, will you marry me?  If Edgar is going to come kills us all, I'd like to be your husband."

"That was the least romantic proposal ever," Matt said with a grin.  "But yeah, I'll fucking marry you."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a tumblr! Come follow me and feel free to send requests :)
> 
> http://gameralexis51.tumblr.com


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